


The Captain America Love Story You Never Knew You Needed

by alienprincesspoop



Series: Steve x Alina [1]
Category: Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Jessica Jones (TV), Luke Cage (TV), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crazy Rich Asians Fusion, Angst and Romance, Artist Steve Rogers, Asian Character(s), Avengers Family, Canon Compliant, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Spoilers, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Crossover, Declarations Of Love, Dorks in Love, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Female Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Love at First Sight, M/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Marvel Cinematic Crossover Exchange, Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One Compliant, Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two Compliant, Marvel Universe, Masturbation, Masturbation in Bathroom, Masturbation in Shower, Multi, Mutual Masturbation, New York City, Non-Penetrative Sex, Not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Compliant, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Originally Posted Elsewhere, Other, POV Alternating, POV Character of Color, POV Female Character, POV First Person, POV Male Character, POV Multiple, POV Original Character, POV Steve Rogers, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Battle of New York (Marvel), Post-Captain America: The First Avenger, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Civil War (Marvel), Romance, Sex, Sex Toys, Singapore, Slow Burn, Slow Dancing, Slow Romance, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Superheroes, Top Steve Rogers, True Love, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-14 20:02:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienprincesspoop/pseuds/alienprincesspoop
Summary: Everyone knows that Peggy Carter is Steve Rogers' best girl. But what if before he returns to her in 1945, Steve fell in love in the modern era?Inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this story imagines the possibility of a meaningful and thrilling romance for one of its most beloved characters.In the year between the events of Winter Soldier and Civil War, Steve Rogers finds himself focused on dismantling Hydra and training the Avengers to prepare for the next threat to Earth.But what if love finds him during this turbulent time? What kind of person would capture the good Captain's heart? Follow along as our hero confronts his role in the new world, not only as Captain America but as a man falling in love when he least expects it.Author's note: None of the characters mentioned in this story belong to the author except for the protagonist, A.C., which is the author's original creation. This character was inspired by the character of Astrid Leong as portrayed by Gemma Chan in Crazy Rich Asians. All other names, characters and places belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are borrowed for fictional purposes. Enjoy! x





	1. Chapter 1

Steve finished his morning workout and was walking out of the gym when he caught sight of his friends looking at something in the main conference room. He took a swig out of his water bottle and walked towards them.

"What are we looking at?" he called out.

No one answered, so he entered the space and followed his friends' gazes to the soundproof glass room in the middle.

Tony was in there with someone. Steve furrowed his brows. Tony had "retired" after everything that happened with Ultron two months ago. Steve stood next to Natasha, observing, as Tony spoke and paced the room. So much for retirement.

"Who's the dame?" he remarked.

Still no answer. Steve looked at his friends.

"Not sure. She came in with Tony about an hour ago on the jet," Sam answered.

"Huh."

He took another swig of water. He couldn't see much of the person except her dark hair, pulled up into an elegant chignon. He noted with particular interest the bit of exposed skin he could see on her neck. The hologram in the middle of the room was displaying a bunch of numbers. Steve wondered who this mysterious woman was.

"She comes from money. I'd say she's Tony's business associate," Nat observed.

"Or an old friend," Wanda remarked.

"She's both."

Everyone turned to look at Vision.

"Both of you are correct. The woman is well-dressed. She comes from money, that much is clear. She also has what most people would consider as good taste. Old money, then. As for how she knows Tony, it is clear they are previously acquainted. Tony is comfortable around her. His tie is undone."

Sam scoffed. "You got all that from Tony's tie?"

Vision glanced at him. "I know Tony. I was in his head my whole life."

Steve looked at his friends. Things must be getting really boring around the Avengers compound if they were all standing around, looking at Tony's tie. He made a mental note to institute training of some kind on Saturday mornings.

The presentation seemed to be coming to an end. Tony looked up and saw the line of them. Steve nodded his way. He was about to take another swig of water when the woman in the chair swiveled around.

He froze.

Dark eyes rested on cheekbones that looked like they were reaching for the heavens. Delicate pearl earrings accentuated a strong jaw. The woman smiled at the line of Avengers, and Steve felt his stomach do a flip.

Tony was moving towards the door. The woman stood up. She was wearing a dress shirt and a tight skirt. He tried to refrain from staring at the shape of her body.

"Speak of the devils!" Tony opened the door with a flourish. The woman moved to join him.

Tony offered his arm to her. Steve felt an irrational pang of jealousy when he saw her smile and take his arm before they walked down the steps.

"Everyone, this is Alina Chen. Alina's an old friend and a business associate," Tony said.

Vision smiled a knowing, self-satisfied smile.

"Nice to meet you," the woman said, greeting her onlookers. Steve noticed her full, pink lips. They looked impossibly soft. He must have imagined that her eyes settled on him for a second longer than the others.

"These," Tony gestured with his free hand, "are the Avengers. Well, some of them anyway." Arm still in hand, he led her to Vision.

"Vision."

"How do you do," he nodded politely. Alina smiled in answer.

"Wanda Maximoff. Scarlet Witch." They exchanged smiles.

"Sam Wilson. Falcon."

"Nice to meet you," Sam smiled. She smiled back at him. Steve began to realize his heart was beating quite fast.

"Natasha Romanova, Black Widow." Natasha nodded at Alina.

"And Steve Rogers. Captain America."

"Ma'am."

He straightened up and had to restrain himself from giving her a small salute.

"It's nice to meet you, Captain," Alina said, giving him a small smile.

The way she uttered his title gave him goosebumps. He noticed a small beauty mark on top of her left lip.

"Well then, that's done," Tony said. "I always feel like a goddamn circus announcer introducing you guys."

Steve flinched at Tony's language, but Alina's laugh distracted him. He hoped he would get to hear her laugh again and that next time, it would be because of something he said.

"Alina will be helping me with a new project I'm working on," Tony said, patting her hand on his arm. Steve wondered what it was. "She'll be staying at the compound for a week as my guest. She's also requested a tour of the facilities this afternoon." He looked back at her. "As much as I'd love to stay and show you around, I have a previous commitment." Tony looked back at the group. "Anyone up for the challenge?"

"I'll do it," Steve answered almost immediately.

Alina glanced at him and offered another smile. His stomach did another flip.

"Alright, then. I'll ask Happy to get your bags," Tony said. "Steve?" Tony moved to offer him Alina's hand, but she did not take his arm.

"Actually, I was hoping to change into something a little more comfortable before the tour."

"You look great as is."

Did he really just blurt that out? Sam let out a low chuckle. Steve felt heat start to creep unto his cheeks. Alina glanced at him.

"Well, thank you, Captain. But I would very much prefer to change. If that's alright with you?"

"Yes, of course. I only meant..." he trailed off. No one filled the gap in the air.

Tony looked between Steve and Alina. "Well, then, let me show you to your room."

For some reason, Steve felt his heart fall.

"I'll see you in an hour, Captain. Where shall we meet?" Alina asked.

He thought quickly. "How about the front lawn?"

"Front lawn it is. See you in an hour." She smiled at him, and he felt his heart soar.

She placed another hand on Tony's arm, and they walked out of the room. Steve noted her graceful gait.

"You look great as is, huh?" Sam said, coming up behind Steve when the two had left.

Steve shot him a look.

"Cap's got the hots for Tony's ex," a new voice piped up.

"Rhodes? Where did you come from?" Steve said, turning around.

"I was finishing up a call outside and saw the whole thing," Rhodes said, gesturing to the window on the other side of the room. "And you definitely have a thing for her."

He opened his mouth to deny it but stopped himself. Natasha and Wanda laughed.

"How do you know she's an ex-lover?" Vision asked Rhodes. Steve felt heat return to his cheeks at Vision's choice of words.

"It's obvious," Rhodes said, grinning widely. "No woman that good-looking, who knows Tony, isn't his ex."

Vision considered this new bit of information and nodded. Steve felt a curious sensation in the pit of his stomach.

"You'd better go, Stevie. You could use a shower," Sam said, clapping his hands on his back.

"I don't smell too bad, do I?"

Wanda crinkled her nose.

"Ok, ok, message received."

"Good luck on your big date!" He heard Sam yell out as he left the room.

He ignored the comment and walked toward his room with the sounds of laughter behind him.

***

Steve walked out to the front lawn. He thought he was early, but Alina was already there, talking to Happy.

Dressed down in jeans and a casual blouse, she still looked elegant and graceful. He wondered if she was a dancer. Rhodes was right. She was a beautiful woman.

Alina was smiling and listening intently to something Happy was saying.

"Hey, Cap!" Happy greeted him as he walked through the double doors.

"Hey, Happy."

"Captain," Alina said.

"Ma'am."

They exchanged a greeting with nods.

"Well, I should get going, Alina. It was nice to see you again. I gotta go do something for Tony. We'll catch up again on Friday over dinner," Happy said. He moved to kiss her on the cheek, and she returned the gesture.

The two of them watched Happy jump into a limousine and drive away. Steve never knew what Happy did a lot of the time that required him to drive a limousine around for Tony's "errands" but it kept him, well, happy enough.

"Shall we?" Steve said, offering his arm.

"Thank you, Captain."

Alina slipped her hand on his. This close, Steve could smell her warm, floral perfume — it made his heart beat faster. He led them back inside the building to begin the tour.

***

"How many floors does this building have?" Alina asked.

The tour of the Avengers compound was taking much longer than she had expected. She knew from the spiel that Tony gave her on the jet that the compound used to be a series of warehouses, but she had not expected it to be quite this large. Steve looked at her.

"Are you tired, ma'am? We can rest for a moment if you'd like."

"That would be great. Thank you."

For some reason, the Captain insisted on a walking tour. She had agreed out of politeness and curiosity but was beginning to think it was a mistake. This place rivaled the size of an international airport in a major city. He led her to a nearby bench, and they sat down together. She instantly felt the weight on her feet ease up.

"You can call me Alina, Captain," she said after a few moments.

"Steve."

He smiled at her. The tour had been pleasant enough. It was obvious that Steve was proud of the Avengers compound, and he had a keen knowledge of the place. She wondered just how much time he spent in the compound. Did he live here too?

She reached down to massage her ankles. An old injury was acting up.

"Are you alright?"

She looked at him, concern showing on his face.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered automatically, retracting her hand.

"We don't have to continue the tour if you don't want to. I can take you back to your room so you can get some rest. I'm sure you've had a long day of traveling."

She looked at him and smiled. He was cute in an endearing way. Eager to please.

"I'd hardly call flying in an Avengers jet with Tony Stark 'a long day of traveling.' The only part of that sentence that would have made the travel day 'long' is the part with Tony in it."

Steve laughed a deep, hearty laugh. She noticed lines form around his eyes. He was a very handsome man.

They were silent for a bit. Alina looked out at the obscenely large yard, thinking about what she had seen on tour so far. It had mostly been hangars, main assembly rooms, and training areas. It was clear Tony spared no expense here.

"How do you two know each other?" Steve asked.

It was an innocent enough question, but she sensed something was wanting beneath the nonchalant way it was posed. She glanced at Steve. His eyes were trained out unto the courtyard.

"We used to date."

She felt Steve stiffen slightly. His reaction made her stomach flutter.

"Tony and I were in the same MBA program at MIT. He was doing electrical engineering and physics as extra disciplines. My extra was in the fine arts with a focus on music."

She heard Steve let out a deep breath.

"Tony was the famed boy genius, and I was a promising young prodigy in the music department. He attended one of my performances. We got to talking after."

It was much more than talking they did the night they met and for about a year on and off after, but Steve didn't need to know that.

"What instrument do you play?" Steve asked after a moment, looking at her.

"Instruments," she corrected him and smiled. He raised his eyebrows. "My main instrument is the flute. But I also play the piano and the harp." She paused. "I can play the seruling and guzheng as a result of those instruments. Though not as often as I would hope."

At the two foreign words, Steve shot her a questioning look.

"The last two are traditional instruments. My grandfather played seruling as a boy, and my grandmother taught me guzheng."

She was pretty sure Steve had no clue what those instruments were. In fact, she didn't know why she had shared this much information with him at all. She wasn't usually so forthcoming when people asked about Tony Stark. Or herself, for that matter. It must be those soft blue eyes.

"Where's your family from?"

"Singapore," she answered after a few moments.

"Malayan peninsula."

She looked at Steve in surprise. Most people in the West assumed Singapore was in China if they even knew Singapore existed.

He must have sensed her surprise. He grinned at her. There was another emotion — guilt? Yearning?— behind the smile.

"I fought in World War II, remember? I'm pushing 100 here."

She looked at him. He was sitting next to her, wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans like any regular man. Except he was Captain America. She blamed the memory lapse on the distractingly clean scent coming off him.

"You look pretty good for a centenarian."

He laughed again. She was suddenly aware of the body heat he was radiating. She cleared her throat. After a few moments of silence, Steve spoke.

"The Battle of Singapore happened a year before I was recruited. I remember listening to Churchill on the radio."

Alina nodded.

"The worst disaster in British history," she recited from memory.

It was his turn to look at her with surprise.

"I took an interest in history when I was studying music at Julliard. In my final year, I wrote and published a paper focusing on the South East Asian theater of war in World War II."

Steve looked at her in awe for a second.

"My grandfather was a young soldier," she explained. "He served with the Malay regiment during the war. My paper focused on the Battle of Singapore and the subsequent Japanese occupation." She paused before continuing. "It was a way for me to honor him and his stories."

Steve took a few long moments to process the information. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet.

"We failed you."

The comment took Alina by surprise.

"Failed us?"

Steve looked at her. "The Allies. We failed to protect you." He stared off into the courtyard.

She wanted to say something back to him — something about benevolent patriarchy or colonialism. She opened her mouth to speak, but something stopped her. Steve looked...familiar. She had seen similar looks on her grandfather's face when he reminisced about the war. Guilt. Regret. Her hands itched to reach out for his. She squeezed them around the bench instead.

"You know, it was probably a good thing the British left the way they did. We never really liked them anyway," she said. "Neither did you guys, remember?" She pointed to the American flag just outside the window.

Steve looked at the flag, then back at her. He placed a finger on his lips and looked at her sideways, hiding a smile. God, this man was adorable. They sat there, sharing a smile for a moment. Steve looked like he was going to say something but decided against it. Instead, he stood up and held his hand out.

"Shall we continue the tour?"

"Yes, let's."

She took his hand and felt a warm, tingling sensation go up to her arm. He offered his arm. She thought she felt him flex when she placed her hand on his impressive bicep.

"Since you were so kind as to share a little more about yourself with me, I have a special place in mind to show you."

"Oh?"

She could feel herself blushing. Steve had noticed and appreciated her sharing information about her life with him.

"It's a new addition Tony built into the compound recently."

"What is it?"

"A music room. Though by the size of it, it looks more like a conservatory, to be honest."

"Of course Tony would build a conservatory in a compound for superheroes. Why not? That makes complete sense."

He laughed, and she grinned.

She found it difficult to focus the rest of the tour. She could feel the Captain stealing glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking.

When the tour ended, she thanked him for taking the time to show her around. Feeling brave, she left him with a light kiss on the cheek as a gesture of budding friendship. When she went to bed that night, the last thought to enter her head was the thrilling sensation of his stubble scratching her jaw.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. There's so much more to come! 
> 
> Leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed this bit. If you want, you can support my writing at https://ko-fi.com/alienprincesspoop :)
> 
> Thanks as always for reading. x


	2. Chapter 2

Steve was in a good mood. No, a stellar mood. It was beginning to annoy Sam, who did not share this sentiment, especially not after jogging for 45 minutes.

"Hey Steve, I need a break. Some of us don't have super-soldier serum running through their veins like you do."

It was Sunday morning, and like every Sunday, Steve and Sam went for a run. They usually did it around the compound, but today, Steve wanted to take the jet and do a lap around Washington DC'S National Mall.

"So how'd your date with Tony's ex go yesterday?" Sam said after taking a few deep breaths in.

"It wasn't a date," Steve answered immediately.

"Uh, huh. Sure yeah, it wasn't. I saw how happy you looked when you finished the tour. She looked pretty cozy with her hand around your arm."

Steve looked at his friend.

"I just showed Alina around the compound. That's all."

"Oh, _Alina_. First name basis now are we?"

Steve shot his friend another look.

"So, what did you _show_ _Alina _exactly?"

Steve took in a breath. He was not going to fall for Sam's baiting.

"The hangars. The assembly rooms. She plays a couple of instruments, so I showed her the new conservatory."

"A _musician," _Sam winked.

"Sam," Steve warned.

Sam held his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, man. I'm just calling it like I see it. You like her, Cap. Don't deny it. She's a beautiful woman. Smart too, it seems."

"Very much so," Steve heard himself say.

He recalled the conversation they had on the bench. Alina's keen interest in history surprised him, especially after she revealed that she could play multiple instruments. Steve felt his heart skip several beats. To be in the company of another artist was exceedingly rare for him these days. Much less, one as talented as Alina. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if she would ever play something for him.

He took a swig of water. Alina had been so willing to open up to him. To listen. Her witty quip about the British allowed him a small moment to laugh at himself. No one had been able to make him do that since Peggy. And what about the kiss on the cheek she had gifted him with at the end of the tour? Surely it meant _something_.

Steve looked away from Sam and down at the ground. He couldn't stop himself from smiling, as he recalled the tingling sensation of her lips on his cheek.

"I knew it, Cap. I knew it. You do like her!"

Sam was practically dancing on the ground in front of him.

"You're ridiculous, you know that?" Steve said, shaking his head.

"Can you blame me? I haven't seen you smile like that since...well, since never. When was the last time you even went on a date?

"Not for a while," he said truthfully after a few moments.

It wasn't that contact with women wasn't available. Christine from Statistics regularly flirted with him, and Lilian from Accounting would smile at him whenever they passed one another, lip piercing and all. And then there was Agent 13.

He was well aware of the effect he had on both women and men. It had taken some getting used to at first — there was that incident with Phillip's secretary and Peggy — but after a few years serving in the war and his reawakening in this new century - he had kept to himself as he tried to understand his place in all this.

He took another swig of water. His body and its wanton desires were not the issue. Neither was access to fulfilling said desires. The issue was that he was Captain America. And Captain America had responsibilities. Captain America had to train Avengers, assemble teams, schedule training sessions, run through drills, liaise with agents from governmental agencies, come up with tactical strategies, lead teams to take down Hydra cells, debrief missions, check in on the team and complete all the paperwork that Maria Hill demanded, on time. Captain America had no time to spare for much else beyond fighting the good fight which left Steve Rogers with very little time for romance. At that thought, he felt a familiar knot of pain and guilt in his chest.

Sam sat next to him.

"Listen, Cap. I'm going to tell you something, and you might not like what I have to say."

"What is it?"

"You need to get laid."

He stared at Sam.

"What do you old guys call it? Fonduing?"

"I got it the first time you said it, Sam."

Sam grinned. "It doesn't have to be with Alina_._ I can see you like her too much for just _that_."

Steve paused. Was it really that obvious?

"But it has to be _with_ someone. Alright? You can't keep on keeping on, all by yourself."

Steve shook his head, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. He couldn't help but smile at Sam's badgering. His friend just wanted the best for him. He got up from the bench.

"Ok, that's enough of a break, soldier. Let's do another fifteen minutes, and then we can get back to the compound for training."

Sam stood up.

"I'm gonna pay for everything I just said, aren't I?"

"Yup."

***

Sunday afternoon training with Sam passed by with relative ease. He showed Sam a few new jiu-jitsu takedowns, relishing in the demonstration portion as revenge for all the teasing he was subjected to earlier that day.

He was walking back to his room when he thought he heard music. He felt his heartbeat quicken.

Before he knew what he was doing, Steve had taken the elevator and was walking across the compound towards the conservatory. Sure enough, Alina was at the piano, playing a song and humming to herself.

He stood at the door for a little bit, watching her play. She had a shawl wrapped around her shoulder, and her dark hair was down. He was hoping she would notice his presence, but she had her back to him and seemed engrossed in the tune she was playing. He cleared his throat. She jumped.

"What the...Steve? You scared me."

"I'm sorry. I was just getting out of the gym with Sam, and I heard music playing."

"The gym? Isn't that all the way across the compound?"

He smiled. "Super hearing," he said, tapping at his ear.

"Oh." She paused. "Ok."

Something flit across her face — fear? confusion?— before disappearing just as quickly.

"Does that mean you can hear it when I play the music wrong?"

He laughed and walked inside the room. To his delight, Alina made room for him on the piano bench, a silent invitation to join her. He took a seat next to her, careful to maintain a respectful distance.

"Nah. It just means I can hear beautiful music when it's playing."

She blushed at that and turned to look back at the piano, fiddling with a few keys.

"What were you playing?"

"A new piece I'm composing for the orchestra."

"You play with an orchestra?"

"The Singapore Symphony Orchestra. I play flute first chair," she said with a hint of pride.

"And you compose original pieces for the whole orchestra to play?"

She nodded again. Steve looked at her in admiration and wonder.

"Can I hear it?"

"Sure," she said, her face getting serious. She tied her hair back. Steve had to tear attention away from the curve of her neck as she played the first few notes.

It was a robust song. Sad and hopeful, vibrant, and nostalgic all at once. He watched her play the song through —eyes closed in certain parts — and thought she looked very alluring. He wondered if that was how she would look like if he were to kiss her.

She stopped.

"That's what I have so far. What do you think?" He could hear a hint of anxiety in her voice, but the question sounded more like a challenge.

"I think it was..."

He looked at the piano keys, trying to search for the right word and failing. He looked into her eyes. They were a deep brown, almost black.

"Breathtaking."

She looked away. "Thank you."

He noticed pink creep into her cheeks. Emboldened by her response, he scooted closer. Their hips touched.

"You really have a way with the piano. You radiate joy when you're in front of it."

She turned to look at him. Their faces were inches apart. He could smell her warm perfume. It sent shivers down his spine.

"I've played since I was a child."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes trained on his mouth.

"I can tell."

Their lips were so close, almost touching.

BEEP.

Both of them jumped at the sound and pulled apart. Steve rummaged in his pocket for his cellphone. He never really liked carrying this thing on his person, and at that moment, he cursed its very existence.

He glanced at the message. It was the incoming week's logs from Maria. Damn thing.

"I'm sorry about that."

"Oh, that's alright."

Alina's eyes and hands were back at the piano keys. The moment was gone. He watched her as she glanced at the clock on the wall.

"I should be going now. I have a dinner tonight with Tony, and I need to be getting ready for that."

She stood up. Steve felt an irrational punch of jealousy in his stomach at the mention of Tony's name. Damn the Starks. It felt like Peggy and Howard all over again.

When Alina moved to the door, he noticed that she was wearing a flowy white dress underneath the shawl she had tied up around her shoulders. He cursed Tony, Jobs and every other 20th-century tech genius under his breath. Oh, the things he would do to her if only he had more time.

"Thank you for joining me today and listening to me play. Have a good afternoon, Captain."

When she left the room, he felt as if all the air had been sucked out.

***

Steve would be the death of her. Did he always walk around in obscenely low riding sweatpants? And did he own anything besides tight t-shirts which seemed to show off his abnormally large biceps?

The moment they shared by the piano was completely unexpected. They had almost kissed. She swore she could have heard his heart hammering in his chest. She took a deep breath when she got to her guest quarters and flopped on the bed. What was she doing here?

A few days ago, she was running her family's charity, the Chen Foundation, while balancing the demands of being flute first chair for the orchestra. Now, she was in upstate New York in the Avengers compound, damn near kissing Captain America. What was happening?

When Tony Stark called out of the blue, asking for a meeting, she assumed that he was coming into town for a business meeting with her father. But when he landed his private jet in the exclusive section of Changi Airport, carrying a box of her favorite chocolates from that famous chocolatier in New York, she realized she'd been mistaken. This was not a business call for her father. It was for her.

They had barely spent a few minutes catching up in his limousine on the tarmac before he proposed something to her.

"I want you to come and work for me."

"What?"

He had ignored her shock and continued. "I'm setting up STEM scholarships from Stark Industries. I want you to sit on the board as the chair."

"What? Why me? I don't have any training in STEM."

Tony had looked at her like she was slow. She would've taken offense if she hadn't known him for so long.

"No, you don't. But you are who I need. I need someone with the ability to look at things from a global perspective. Someone creative but also brave enough to take risks. Someone who can see potential in people they don't see in themselves. I need you."

She gaped at him.

"Plus, you're good at math. And you've always been into the whole "saving the world" thing."

She didn't know which part to address so she settled on one. "I'm good at math because I happen to be good at music too. Which I do here. I play with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra remember?"

"Ah, yes. Music. I can promise you when you come to work for me, you will be able to continue playing music. It will be even better than making first chair. Did you make first chair yet? I can't remember. Anyway, it'll be much better than that."

Alina bit her tongue in response to the carelessness with which Tony threw around her lifelong dream of being first chair for the flute.

"_If_ I come work _with_ you," she asserted. "And yes, I made first chair last year."

"You did? Wow. Congratulations. So will you do it?"

She gave Tony a long, hard look. He was still as devilishly suave as ever and even more arrogant than she thought possible. God help him. But there was an edge to his voice, a hardness that didn't exist before.

"Give me one good reason why I should take any of this seriously, Tony. You call me out of the blue. I haven't seen you since before...well, it's been a long time. We haven't even left the airport. We're sitting in a limousine on the tarmac. Are we even moving?"

"No ma'am, we are not," a voice piped up from the front. She saw a fat man with curly hair give her a wave.

"Happy?" She raised up out of her seat to take a better look at him.

"Hi, Alina. You're looking beautiful as ever."

"Thank you, Happy. You look well."

"Tony pays me well."

Alina looked back at Tony.

"I do," he shrugged.

"Are you in this too?" she directed the question to Happy.

"I think you would make a great chair for the foundation. What are we calling it, Tony?"

"The September Foundation."

Alina glanced at Tony. He was looking away from her, fidgeting with his sunglasses.

"From _The Fantasticks_ song your mother used to sing and play on the piano?" she asked softly.

He nodded without meeting her eye. He took a deep breath and made direct eye contact.

"Will you do it?"

She looked at him. Chair Tony Stark's STEM scholarship foundation? What did that work even entail? She had to admit she was curious. Tony never asked for help unless he really needed it. Something was going on, and she would figure out what it was and why he needed her friendship so suddenly.

"I'll consider joining you on one condition."

"Name it. Anything you want."

"I have dinner with you, Pepper and Happy. It's been a really long time since I've sat down and had a meal with you. And I want to meet Pepper."

Tony sighed.

"Deal. But I can only make it a week from now." He brought up a hologram of his schedule and entered something in. "You have lots to do until then."

"I do?"

"Yes, silly. Meeting other board members, schmoozing potential donors, going through the applications. All that jazz." He rubbed his hands together. "You don't happen to have your suitcase on you, do you? We're going to New York."

"Right now? You just got here! And I can't just leave. I have work to do here."

"Ah, ah, ah," he tsked. "You said you would consider it and this is part of the consideration process."

"I have a job, Tony. Unlike some people I know."

"Hey. I have a job. I'm Iron Man. Anyway, I've taken care of your work for you."

"What do you mean you've taken care of it?"

"I called your father last week and made a huge donation to the Chen Foundation. It should buy you a week or two with me at least."

After the incredulous but ultimately useless stare she gave Tony, she found herself packing a suitcase in her Orchard Road penthouse before being whisked away again to the airport. They were up in the air headed to the Avengers compound within a few hours. It didn't seem real then and it sure as hell did not seem real now.

She let out a long sigh. Was she actually considering Tony's job offer? He was acting like she already accepted his proposal.

Tony was an old friend, but they had not seen each other in years. Like everyone else in the world, she followed his capture in the Middle East a few years ago, and later his coming out as Iron Man. It was all quite unbelievable to think that the brilliant and charming young man she dated briefly in university had turned into a superhero. Iron Man, no less.

But then Iron Man himself — sans suit — had appeared and she had met the Avengers - the assassin, the witch, the oddly handsome one with the yellow stone in his head, two relatively normal-looking men and of course, Steve. Who was anything but normal.

She knew very little about the Avengers and even less about Steve. After the Battle of New York and the subsequent revelation that humans were not alone in the universe, she had taken refuge in her music and work. She hadn't been able to escape the inevitable osmosis of knowledge in today's relentless information age, however.

Alina knew Steve Rogers had some sort of super serum surging through his body. What that meant she had no clue beyond the fact that it made the man ridiculously attractive. Maybe it amped up his pheromones or something. That would explain why she had been feeling light-headed since she got here yesterday morning. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the feeling of her bed beneath her.

"I need to listen to some music," she decided, sitting up. Music always made everything better.

"Hello, Ms. Chen. Would you like me to play some music for you?"

She jumped. Who the hell was in her room?

"Please do not be alarmed. I am F.R.I.D.A.Y, your natural-language user interface," a pleasant female Irish voice said.

Oh ok. It was just a super-advanced computer A.I. talking to her. Super normal stuff.

"Hello F.R.I.D.A.Y.," she said tentatively.

"Greetings Ms. Chen. I can assist you in playing some music. I have a wide selection of music choices. Who would you like to listen to?"

"How about P. Ramlee?" She wanted to know if Tony's fancy digital servant knew who the musician was.

"Of course. Do you have a song you prefer?"

"_Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti_?"

"Very well." She was impressed that F.R.I.D.A.Y was able to understand the language.

Almost immediately, P. Ramlee's smooth tenor started to croon the song. It seemed like it was coming from all directions.

"Can you lower the volume, Friday?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Can I help with anything else?"

An irrational thought ran through her head, but she dismissed it. She was not going to use Tony's technology genie to creep on Steve. No matter how much she wanted to know what he was doing at the moment.

"No."

"Very well, Ms. Chen. Happy listening."

"Thank you."

With that, F.R.I.D.A.Y made a beep sound. Strangely enough, she got the sensation that the A.I. actually left the room. Alina sat there for a bit, thinking about F.R.I.D.A.Y. The A.I. was almost god-like. She felt her stomach tighten. How much did F.R.I.D.A.Y. know about what happened within the walls of the compound?

"F.R.I.D.A.Y?" she ventured out loud after a few moments.

"Yes, Ms. Chen."

"Are there cameras in my room?"

"No, Ms. Chen. There are no cameras in guest quarters.

"Are there cameras elsewhere in the compound?"

"Yes, Ms. Chen. With the exception of private areas such as housing quarters and bathrooms, there are cameras in every other area in the compound."

"Ok. Thank you."

F.R.I.D.A.Y. disappeared with a beep.

Great. There were cameras in every room. That meant that somewhere in the A.I. ether, there was footage of her and Steve Rogers caught in a kiss that never was.

***


	3. Chapter 3

That night, after a quiet dinner alone, Steve retired to his room. He rummaged through his drawers for a good few minutes before finding what he was looking for.

When he finally found his favorite sketching pencil and some drawing paper, he sat on his bed.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., play Marvin Gaye's Troubleman soundtrack."

"Yes, sir. Would you like me to continue playing similar songs when it's done?"

"Sure, F.R.I.D.A.Y. Thanks."

The sounds of soft jazz floated into the room.

Steve started sketching. A line here, a darker one there. After a few minutes, he had the outline of a person's lips. Not a person's. Hers. Alina.

Clearly, he couldn't get her out of his head.

He thought back to the kiss they almost shared that afternoon. Her pink lips, her dark eyes - he absently sketched the outline of an almond-shaped eye a few inches above the lips.

If only they had a moment longer. If only his phone hadn't gone off at that exact moment. If only.

He sighed, sketching in an iris. His ears perked up at the random song that was playing now. What was the strange chanting?

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., what song is this?"

"Hooked on a Feeling by Johnny Maestro and Brooklyn Bridge."

An apt title for the situation he found himself in at the moment, though the campy tune did not match what he was feeling.

"Stop the song, F.R.I.D.AY."

"Yes, sir. Would you like me to play something else?"

He hesitated.

"Harry James. A Long, Long Time."

The familiar song played into his room, and Steve felt his heart constrict. He gripped his pencil and placed it down. He hadn't played that song in a while. His stomach dropped at the overture but couldn't bring himself to stop the song. Not this early into it. He wanted to listen to it through to the end. He had to.

When the voice started to croon, he felt his stomach twist in knots. A lump formed in his throat. He swallowed it back down.

He breathed when the saxophone returned into the song, his head swimming a little. The song was almost coming to an end. When it did, he let out a breath he had been holding in.

"Would you like me to play another song, sir?"

He took a deep breath in.

"Got anything appropriate for a Sunday night?" he wondered out loud. He picked up his pencil and started sketching again.

"One moment, sir."

After a few seconds, the single sound of a woman's voice came into the room.

"Who is this, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"Etta James, sir. The song is A Sunday Kind of Love."

"Hmph," he remarked, listening to the lyrics. He smiled a little.

"Would you like me to play something else, sir?"

He hesitated, unsure of the A.I.'s song choice. "No, it's alright. You can leave this on. Switch to something instrumental after."

"Preferred instrument, sir?"

"Piano," he said immediately.

"Very well, sir."

He got back to drawing, listening to the song. It was beginning to grow on him.

_...And my arms need someone. Someone to enfold. To keep me warm when Mondays and Tuesdays grow cold. Love for all my life to have and to hold..._

He absently sketched another eye and then, added eyebrows to the picture. Etta James' song ended before he got started on her nose. The next song played, and he heard the sounds of soft piano keys. For a split second, his heart raced like it had earlier that afternoon.

Steve breathed out as he started the sketch of a nose, thinking about his muse tonight.

Alina was exceptional. Intelligent, kind, and with a sense of humor too. It was difficult for him to deny the fact that he was immensely attracted to her. She intrigued him. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to see her again — to ask her about her life. What was her life like at M.I.T.? Her childhood? Her family? What did she like to do when she wasn't working or playing music? Did she like to dance?

He looked at the drawing so far. Something was not quite right. The elements on the woman's face didn't look like anyone he recognized. He sighed and put the pencil and paper away. That was enough for tonight.

He stared up at the ceiling, a million thoughts in his head.

Surely, Alina felt the same way too. After the events of this afternoon, he was almost certain she did.

He sighed. He was Captain America. The Captain had no time for romance. Much less, the kind of love that could keep him warm on a Sunday night. So why did Steve Rogers want it so much? He huffed in frustration.

He had felt this way before, torn between being the Captain and Steve. Last year, when he first met Sam, he was unsure about his place in the world. He didn't know if he wanted to continue on as a soldier, to continue fighting. Captain America did but Steve Rogers? Steve Rogers needed a damn break. Then the thing with HYDRA happened, and he found himself thrust back into fighting an old enemy only to face a newer, more immediate threat in the form of Ultron.

He had only been alive for 3 years in this new world, a baby in any normal context, but he felt older than 100. Nothing about his life was normal. At least, not before the serum injection. And even then, there had only been two people he truly loved.

Bucky and Peggy.

He released a long, deep sigh, putting his arm against his eyes. It was only a few months ago that he and Bucky fought at the Battle of the Triskelion. Bucky had pulled him out of the Potomac River and disappeared into the woods. Steve and Sam had gotten permission from Stark to search for him after the battle, but there were little to no reliable clues. The trail had gone cold. He let out another deep sigh.

As for Peggy, he didn't know if he had the strength to visit her again. It had been a year since the last visit. How much worse was her condition now? It had been the worst, most cruel form of torture to see her recognize him, fill her in on what had happened, only to lose her again. Her Alzheimer's meant she couldn't recall their previous visits, and at any time, Peggy might not know where or when she was either. He snorted at the irony.

The sudden trumpet in the current song jerked him out of his reverie.

He sighed, heart heavy, trying to push all thoughts of Bucky and Peggy out of his mind. He suddenly felt exhausted. He might as well turn in now and call it a night. He would have lots of opportunities to drown himself in work tomorrow. He was about to ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to switch off the lights when the A.I. spoke.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"I have a message for you."

"What is it?"

"Ms. Romanoff is inquiring as to your whereabouts. She wants to know if you would like to join her in the common area."

Was something wrong? Steve looked at the clock. It was eight.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., please ask her if everything is all right or if something urgent is going on."

"Transmitting message." There was a short pause before a new message.

"She says something is happening in the common room that might interest you."

Steve got up out of bed.

"Tell her I'm on my way."

***

When he got to the common area, he was surprised to find Natasha with Vision and Alina. Alina looked just as surprised to see him. He thought he saw some pink creep into her cheeks.

"Hey Steve, we were just going to watch a movie. I thought you'd want to watch something with us. You know, catch up on your list," Natasha said.

"That's what your message was about?"

Natasha gave him a cool stare. He glanced at Alina, who offered him a small smile.

"I'm helping Vision make some popcorn. Go sit on the couch."

Steve thought he saw Natasha smile to herself.

He looked at Alina again. Her hair was down, and she was wearing lavender silk pajamas. God, she was gorgeous. Why was he suddenly feeling so shy? It's not like she could tell he had been thinking about her all night.

"I couldn't sleep," she said, offering an explanation for her presence. "Jetlag. I heard sounds in here and thought I'd join in on movie night."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Popcorn is ready," Vision announced.

He brought a big bowl over and sat on the opposite end of the U-shaped couch. Natasha sat next to him and grabbed a handful of popcorn. Steve took his place in the middle. He found himself wishing the couch was smaller, to be closer to Alina.

"So what are we watching tonight?" he asked.

"I was going to browse Netflix and decide," Vision stated.

"Alright."

Steve took the controller and turned on Netflix. He swiped through the list. There was a whole section dedicated to the Avengers. His origin story popped up on the list. That damn thing was still up there from a year ago when it aired alongside the Captain America Exhibit at the Smithsonian. He hurried past the section.

"What do we feel like watching? Action?"

He didn't recognize any of the titles on this thing.

"Check out latest releases," Natasha said.

There was nothing but the sound of crunching popcorn for a bit. He could hear Alina's steady breathing.

He came upon a title he recognized. "Rocky?"

"I thought you'd seen it," Natasha commented.

"I wouldn't mind watching it again."

"What is the movie about?" Vision asked.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Alina interjected.

"How about "The Karate Kid?" she said, pointing to the title next to Rocky.

"Classic," Natasha said, nodding her approval.

"Is it a kid's movie?" he asked.

"Nope. Let's watch it."

With that final sign-off from Natasha and a shrug from Vision, he clicked on the movie.

***

Alina found it really difficult to concentrate on the movie. For one, she was still trying to get over the fact that she was Netflix and chilling with Black Widow, Vision and Captain America. Was this a fever dream?

For another, she could smell Steve's scent radiating off his body. He was sitting in the middle of the couch, and she was at the end, but they were close enough that she could watch him out of the corner of her eye. Truth be told, she was having too much fun spying on his reactions to the movie than the actual movie itself. His face was currently screwed in concentration, and she noted how slight lines appeared in the middle of his forehead, in between his eyebrows. Cute.

Later onscreen, when Daniel was cornered by bullies during the Halloween party, she saw his jaw clench and his lips purse as he stared at the screen with intensity. The man was unforgivingly handsome.

Feeling light-headed, she stood up to get some water. Onscreen, Daniel and Miyagi were headed to the Cobra Kai dojo.

"Are you alright?" Steve asked.

She smiled. He was always so concerned.

"Yes, just getting some water."

She walked to the kitchen and filled a glass with water, feeling his eyes on her. When she turned around and walked back to the couch, his eyes were back on the screen.

When she sat down, the Cobra Kai's sensei onscreen took down his student and intimidated him during class. She thought she heard Steve huff. She drank some water and rubbed her temples. Steve looked at her.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked.

"Sh," Natasha said.

She smiled and whispered back. "I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."

He looked at her and patted at the empty spot next to him. "Lie down, rest your head. I'll make space." He scooted over a little to give her more room.

Not wanting to prolong the interruption, Alina obeyed and laid her head down on the spot next to him. It felt good to lie down. She closed her eyes for a moment, seeing the lights from the screen behind her eyelids. When she opened them, she realized how close her head was to Steve's thigh. She stiffened, unsure of what to do. His arm was up around the back of the couch. She found herself wondering what it would feel like to have his large hands running through her hair.

She threw all distracting thoughts out of her mind and forced herself to concentrate on the screen. Laying down had been helpful. She started to feel better.

They continued the movie for the next half hour. Onscreen, Alina watched as Daniel rode his bike up to Miyagi's house. She sat up, allowing a bit of space between her and the Captain. Steve dropped his hand where her head had been. She was acutely aware of how close their hands were to one another. She moved her hands under the blanket, effectively providing a barrier.

She looked at the scene unfold onscreen, a pit forming in her stomach. She knew what was coming up next and it dawned on her that it might not have been such a good idea to watch this movie after all.

Miyagi was in a soldier's uniform. Daniel was looking at a picture of Miyagi's wife.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Steve stiffen. His body language became more tense as the scene unfolded, revealing the true nature behind Miyagi's drunkenness. When Daniel read out Miyagi's letter from the army, she felt Steve freeze completely.

Before she could stop herself, she reached for his hand, pulling it under the blanket with hers. Her sudden touch seemed to surprise him, but he didn't pull away. He closed his hand around hers as Daniel reached for the Purple Heart on screen. They remained like that, hand in hand under blanket cover until the scene was over.

The movie continued, but they were still holding hands. Alina wasn't sure if she should let go or even if she wanted to. Then, she felt him stroke her knuckles with his thumb. She felt a pleasant jolt run from up her arm from that sensation. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were trained on the screen, betraying no emotion except interest and concentration.

She tried her best to focus, but the sensation of his thumb stroking her hand was too distracting. He was tracing circles now. She watched as Miyagi offered Daniel one of his cars and could feel Steve smiling.

"You're the best friend I ever had," Daniel said to Miyagi.

Steve breathed in deeply. She moved to thread her fingers through his and squeezed it. He returned the squeeze. They spent the rest of the movie holding hands under the blanket, Steve absently stroking her knuckles.

***

"That was an excellent suggestion, Ms. Chen. Thank you," Vision said at the closing credits. He nodded his head towards her. Alina smiled in return.

Steve had finally let her hand go before the movie ended. Alina found her hands feeling quite cold now.

"The fight choreography was surprisingly well done for a kid's movie," Natasha said, getting up with the now-empty bowl of popcorn.

"You said it _wasn't_ a kid's movie," Steve replied, taking Alina's glass of water to the kitchen.

"I did say that, didn't I?"

"The themes of the movie transcended all age groups," Vision stated.

"I agree," Alina said.

"What did you think, Steve?" Natasha said.

Alina glanced at Steve, and he grinned at her. She looked down at the floor, recalling their secret physical contact through the evening.

"I thought it was excellent. Really compelling stuff."

"There you have it. Out of the mouth of babes," Natasha said.

Steve threw Natasha a look. Alina laughed.

"I'm going to retire for the night. Thank you for the company." Vision nodded and bowed to the team.

They all wished him a goodnight.

"Well, I'm turning in too. Alina, 7am tomorrow at the gym like we agreed?"

"Oh, yes. Of course. I'll see you then."

Natasha left the room.

"Early start tomorrow?" Steve said, turning to her.

"Yes. Natasha wanted me to show her a few pointers for yoga. We got to talking about exercise routines, and she found out that I enjoy doing yoga regularly."

"Well, we should get you to bed then. Shall we?"

He offered his arm, and she took it. They walked out of the room into the hallway.

Neither of them said anything as they started the walk back. Alina swallowed, nervous at the silence.

"What did you really think about the movie?" she asked. "Did you actually enjoy it?"

"Yes. Of course. Why would you ask that?"

She hesitated. "I just thought, well, certain parts of the movie were quite...heavy."

He paused before replying. "Are you talking about the scene when we find out about Miyagi's history as a soldier?"

She nodded.

"To be honest, that part was difficult to watch," he said in a low voice. Alina waited for him to continue. "It reminded me of so many things."

She didn't reply. She had enough experience listening to her grandfather. She knew when it was appropriate to push, and when it was appropriate to wait. This was the time to wait.

"I fought in World War II with the Howling Commandos. They were my squad," Steve said after a few moments. "One of them was Jim Morita. He was a good man. Believed in honor and respect. Miyagi reminded me of him."

She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"What we did to Japanese-Americans back then. It wasn't right."

She nodded in silent agreement. There was a long pause.

"Jim's passed on now, of course. Just like Falsworth."

He stopped there, but she didn't need him to continue. The guilt was clear in his voice. It couldn't have been easy to be one of the remaining survivors among your squad-mates. Especially not when they were all in their late 90s, and you still looked 33.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be such a downer."

She stopped and turned to look at his face.

"There's no need to apologize. This is your story. You've been through hell and back, living more than two lifetimes worth of pain and war."

He stared at her. Before she could register what was happening, he had pulled her into a kiss. His lips were soft and full, the kiss, deep and desperate. He pulled back abruptly.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."

She looked at him for a moment, then pulled him back into another kiss. The initial surprise was quickly replaced by something eager and meaningful. When they pulled apart, he smiled at her with an irresistible lopsided grin. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to have her way with him.

"I never thanked you for literally holding my hand through the difficult scenes," he said, after a few moments.

"You're welcome," she said, clearing her throat a little. "I felt terrible when I realized what was happening. It's been a long time since I watched the movie. I was a kid in the 90s when I saw it last. It was one of the few Hollywood movies with Asian representation at the time. I remember watching it in the local theatre with my grandfather when they had a special screening."

Steve nodded. "The same one who was a soldier and played the...what was it?"

"The _seruling_. Yes, the same one."

"You two are close, huh?"

Alina nodded wordlessly. Steve must have sensed that this was a subject she preferred to keep private because he offered his arm again. She took it, and they continued their walk back in silence.

"My father was a soldier," he started suddenly. "He fought and died in the Great War. Mustard gas attack. Awarded a posthumous Purple Heart."

"Were you close?"

"He died two months before I was born."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Steve shrugged. "I enlisted because of him. But I'm sure you know all this from that Captain America documentary on Netflix."

She shook her head. "I haven't had a chance to watch much of anything recently. I was going through something personal last year. I haven't had much time to rest since then."

He looked at her, his heart sinking when she confessed her lack of self-care. He paused for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"What do you know about my... origin story?" It felt so strange to say those words out loud.

"The basics. I know you were...are a war hero. That you sacrificed yourself to save your country back in 1945. You got your powers from some sort of super serum. And I know you were resurrected a few years ago before the Battle of New York."

He was silent. Alina opened her mouth to ask a question and shut it again.

'Go ahead," he prompted. "Ask me your question."

"Was it painful?"

"Was what painful?"

"Dying." She couldn't look at him when she asked.

"I don't remember to be honest. The last thing I remember before going into the ice was talking to Peggy on the radio."

She felt a rush of guilt then, for being here with him, for kissing him and for wanting him to ravish her. Alina closed her eyes. His grief was so palpable, she could taste it on her tongue. He placed a hand on top of hers and squeezed it. They walked down the rest of the hallway in silence and soon, came to the door of her guest room.

"Here we are," he announced.

She let go of his arm. "Thank you, Steve," she said. "For everything."

She tried to fit all her gratitude into that last word — for walking her back, for opening up to her, for holding her hand during the movie, for listening to her play earlier that day. But also, for his continued service to others, past and present. She felt like it wasn't enough, so she cradled his jaw and gave him another kiss.

He reached up and stroked her chin while their lips met. After an eternal minute of chaste kissing, she pulled away. He respectfully pulled back.

They looked at one another and shared a smile. Steve's cheeks were pink to match his mouth. She cleared her throat.

"Goodnight, Steve."

"Goodnight Alina."

She waited for the door to open automatically and stepped inside, closing the door on the Captain.

***


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Alina woke up with renewed determination not to lead the good Captain on any longer.

Sure, they had crazy chemistry, and she couldn't stand being in the same room as him without feeling automatically drawn to him. Their kisses last night - first, deep and desperate, second, eager and meaningful and finally, soft and sweet — meant that she had a hard time getting to sleep. But she also knew that whatever it was that was happening between them could not last.

After what he shared with her last night about Peggy, she realized she did not want to take him away from her. She wouldn't. In the quiet recesses of her mind, she also knew that she could never replace his best girl. By virtue of that, she would never be good enough for him, and in turn, he could never be hers.

She got dressed and looked at herself in the mirror. She would put an end to this — whatever this was. She had a few days left here, and she wanted to focus on the presentation for Thursday. Young people's lives and educations depended on the success of the presentation.

The only problem was Alina found herself thoroughly unprepared for the sight that greeted her at the gym at 7 am. Steve was in there, working out with some very heavy-looking weights in the corner. He was sweating up a storm through his ridiculously tight t-shirt. Some longer pieces of hair had fallen over his forehead. She almost turned back and ran the other way.

"Alina!" Natasha waved.

At the mention of her name, Steve looked up and smiled at her in the middle of his set. She watched his already giant bicep flex and had to remind herself to breathe.

Alina schooled her expression into a neutral one and nodded at him, looking back at Natasha.

"Guess Steve decided to join us, huh?" Natasha said in a low voice.

Alina glanced at him. He was standing up and putting the weights away. Dear God, he made those sweatpants look positively sinful. She shrugged, hoping against hope that her cheeks were not flushing as she felt heat rush to her face.

"What do you want to start with?" Natasha asked.

"When I'm away from my trainer, I usually start with some yoga then cardio."

"Ok."

They rolled out their yoga mats next to one another. Alina led the two of them through a basic sun salutation. She tried her best to focus on the stretches and ignore Steve's sporadic grunts. It proved difficult because she could swear she felt his eyes on her, but each time she sneaked a peek at him, he appeared to be fully concentrating on his own workout.

After a few rounds of sun salutations, they proceeded to the treadmills. She hopped on and set it to a punishing pace. Maybe if all she could feel were the pain in her legs, she would stop feeling the heat gathering in her lower abdomen. No such luck. She had a direct line of sight to Steve, and she watched as he made his way to the punching bag.

He paused for a moment with both hands on each side of his impossibly small waist, his broad chest heaving. Then he lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his face, exposing his perfectly sculptured Adonis belt. She almost fell off the treadmill.

"Really going for it today, huh?" Natasha said next to her.

Alina glanced at Steve. She could have sworn she saw his lips quirk up in a smile as he wrapped his hands with fabric. She slowed the pace down for fear of making a complete fool of herself.

"I'm going to slow it down for a bit."

Two could play at this game, Captain. She looked at Steve, who was now punching the bag of sand and proceeded to remove her shirt, leaving only her sports bra. The effect that had on Steve was everything she had hoped for. He stopped abruptly, attempting to make eye contact with her. She continued running on the treadmill, avoiding his eyes, fully relishing the way he was looking at her. When she looked back in his direction, he was punching the bag with renewed vigor.

"What'd that bag ever do to you, man?"

Sam walked into the gym. Steve stopped and greeted him.

"Hey, Sam." It was the first time she heard his smooth low tenor today. It gave her goosebumps.

"Hi, ladies," Sam waved at them.

"Hey, Sam," Natasha said.

"Hey," Alina smiled widely at Sam.

At the sound of her voice, Steve turned to look at her. She continued to avoid his eyes.

"Why are you in here at 7am, punishing this punching bag?" Sam asked.

Steve didn't answer.

"The thing is leaking sand. Whoever it was you were thinking about must have gotten you all riled up."

Alina watched as Steve's face turned from a rosy pink to red. She couldn't help but smile to herself triumphantly. Sam moved to get some tape to fix the holes.

"I'm done with that anyway," Steve said. "Want to do some jiu-jitsu in the ring?"

"Sure," Sam said, finishing up the repairs.

"Oh, this should be interesting. Sam's been training, and he's getting quite good," Natasha said.

She slowed down and stepped off her treadmill, walking towards the ring. Alina, unsure of what was happening, did the same.

"Have you been practicing your takedowns?" Steve was saying to Sam. He didn't seem to notice that the women were approaching, but Alina saw him straighten himself up a little taller.

"Yes, sir."

"Ok, show me what you got."

The two men went into a basic stance. Before she could process what was happening, she saw Sam kick his right leg up to trap Steve's left and leverage that into a takedown. There was a loud boom when the Captain hit the mat. Alina jumped a little.

Steve lay on the floor while Sam danced around in delight with a wide grin on his face.

"First time!" Sam declared triumphantly.

"Good job, Sam," Natasha praised him.

"I wasn't prepared for that," Steve called out from the floor.

"Get up, Rogers," Natasha said.

Steve got up and grabbed Sam's forearm in congratulations. Then, he made his way over to the ropes and looked Alina straight in the eyes. He had a slight sheen on his forehead.

"Do you know anything about takedowns?"

She looked up at his face. His blue eyes were twinkling, as if in challenge. She shook her head. He didn't need to know she took kung fu classes until she was a teenager.

"Wanna learn a thing or two?"

"Sure."

If he looked a little surprised at her answer, he hid it well. He reached his hand out, and she clasped it, feeling an electric warmth run through her arm. She got into the ring.

"Sam, show her what I taught you yesterday."

Steve left the ring. Alina looked a little confused, but Sam was smiling kindly at her.

"Ok, so the first thing you wanna do is get into a defensive stance."

She did as he instructed, feet slightly apart with both hands up.

"And then, we do this," he started. Sam was moving towards her, but Alina was too fast for him.

She surged forward and grabbed his left forearm with her left hand. She brought her right arm to the left side of his face and hit it with a sharp smack. She saw Sam freeze in surprise. Then, she placed the hand on his left shoulder, brought her left leg up and kicked his right leg under, throwing him in the ground with all her might.

Steve sucked in a deep breath. Natasha burst out laughing. Alina walked over to Sam, who looked stunned and offered her hand to help him up. Sam looked at her with a mixture of awe and respect before accepting her hand. Then he turned to Steve.

"What'd you get me into, Cap?"

Alina smiled at Steve. She saw him look at her with narrowed eyes, and she felt the coil in her abdomen wind up tighter.

"That's enough for today, Sam," Natasha said. "Get back to your workout. We'll work on how to defend against unexpected threats later." She laughed again and helped Alina out of the ring.

"Well, Steve, I'm pretty sure you got much more than you bargained for. And you had to offer Sam up as your sacrificial lamb," Natasha said.

Alina drank from her water bottle. She hadn't done anything like that in a long time, and it winded her out. Steve was grinning his lopsided grin at her. God damn him. How was it that she took down Sam and caused him to punch holes in the sandbag, but she still felt like she was losing their little game here?

"You'll have to show me that move sometime," Steve said to her. "What was that? Karate?"

"Kung fu."

Natasha laughed again. "I wouldn't mess with her, Steve."

Steve smiled at Alina, eyes shining, and it took all of her self-control to stop herself from attacking him on the lips right there and then. Instead, she grabbed her water bottle and took a long drink.

"I've had enough for the day. That last takedown tired me out," she declared. "I'll see you around, Nat? Thanks for working out with me today."

"Thanks for the yoga instruction. I want to start doing more low impact exercises, so it was useful that you gave me a few pointers."

"No problem," she smiled. She looked at Sam. "Sorry for the takedown."

"Hey, no apologies needed. It was a lesson, all right." She smiled at the good-natured man.

She looked at Steve. "Good day, Captain."

Before he could reply, she turned around and walked out of the gym. She could feel his eyes on her, so she made sure to add an extra swing in her hips.

A few minutes later, when she was standing in front of the elevator, she heard him call out to her.

"Alina!"

She turned to look and saw him running towards her. He stopped, holding her shirt out.

"You forgot this."

"Oh, thanks."

When she reached for the shirt, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close, their faces inches apart. His natural scent mixed with the smell of his sweat went straight to her head. She felt a little woozy.

"Don't think I didn't notice what you were trying to do in there," he said in a low voice. It sent chills down her spine.

"What was I trying to do?" she replied.

She stared at him, brown eyes challenging blue. She saw his irises darken for a few seconds. Then, just as abruptly, he released her arm and shook his head.

"I'll get you back for that," he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, continuing to feign innocence. She used her shirt to dab her neck.

He pursed his lips, grinned at her, and shook his head. The elevator pinged, and the doors opened.

"I'll see you later, Steve."

She entered the elevator and watched as the doors closed on the hot and sweaty form of Steve Rogers. She needed a shower. Preferably a cold one.

***

Steve had to take care of himself after that gym session. It was all a little too much. Alina had permanently left a mark in his brain, and now, he couldn't get her out of his mind.

Her walking into the gym with those figure-hugging sweatpants was one thing. But when she started to do those upward yoga poses, Steve completely lost count of his set. He imagined her long, flexible legs while he took care of business in the shower. What would they look like, naked on his bed? And then, she had taken her shirt off while running, and he had almost keeled over from the sheer audacity. Images came flashing to him. Her dark eyes, her long hair tangled in his hands. What sounds would she make while he worshipped her? It didn't take long for his personal mission to be complete, and he stepped out of the shower, a more level-headed man.

Now, he could focus on the day ahead.

When he walked into the assembly room, he saw Natasha in there.

"What's on the docket for today?" Every Monday, they received their assignments from Maria. This week was no different.

"We've been assigned to investigate a Hydra cell in Switzerland. Apparently, this was one of a few highly covert cells in charge of funneling money to Hydra from the Swiss banks."

"Hmph," Steve grunted in a grim tone. "Where do we start?"

"You don't. I do."

Steve looked at her in confusion.

"The report clearly states that you are not needed on this mission." Steve opened his mouth to argue. "Hill said that you will be given different orders from Tony this week."

He furrowed his brows in confusion again. Was this about Bucky?

"Do you know what that's about?"

"Nope," Natasha said without looking at him. She was staring at the screen, typing something.

Alina walked into the room. He immediately felt his cheeks flush as he recalled the private session he had in the shower an hour ago.

"Hi, Natasha, Captain," Alina greeted them.

She was wearing a black pencil skirt that accentuated all her curves. Steve swallowed.

"Captain, did you receive your orders from Tony yet?" Alina asked.

"Uh, nope. Nothing yet."

Alina looked confused.

"Check your phone, Rogers," Natasha said without tearing her eyes away from the screen.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Sure enough, there was a notification from Tony. He read through it quickly.

"He wants me to help with The September Foundation? His scholarship fund?" His confusion was replaced with irritation. Trust Tony to give him something useless to do while his team went on an important mission.

Alina cleared her throat. "I'll be helping Tony start things off with the Foundation. He told me you would have a personal interest in this project."

Steve looked at her in confusion for a moment before putting two and two together. Alina was helping Tony with the scholarship fund. That's why she was here this week. Suddenly, he didn't seem to mind missing out on the Switzerland mission after all. Natasha and the rest of them could handle it.

"Alright, then. Tell me what the Foundation is about."

"Give me a minute, I'll finish up here, and you two can have the room to yourselves," Natasha said.

Steve felt his stomach flip at those words. Natasha finished typing and stood up to leave.

"Keep me updated on the status of the mission, Nat," he called to her.

"Will do, Steve. Good luck, Alina. You'll need it, dealing with those two," Natasha smirked as she left the room.

Steve and Alina stood on opposite sides of the room. She broke the silence.

"Tony should be calling in from Hong Kong at any moment. Let me join you."

She stood beside him. He could smell her vanilla and lavender-scented shampoo. It ached for him not to bury his nose in her hair.

Tony appeared in a life-size hologram form in front of them.

"Hey, you two."

"Hi Tony," they replied together.

"Pardon the pajamas," he gestured to his clothes. "It's nine p.m. in Hong Kong, and I wanted a casual night in." He drank from his Iron Man mug. The man was insufferable. "Well, let's get this over with. My bed is calling me," he said. "Alina, have you told Steve about his part in all this?"

"Not yet, Tony. I haven't had the chance to do so."

"Well, I'll do it then," Tony said. "Cap, I need you to make an appearance at the first board and donor meeting for The September Foundation on Thursday morning. It will be in Stark Industries head office in New York."

"Why me?"

"The scholarship program is for urban inner-city kids. I thought it would be helpful, seeing as how you're from Brooklyn if you made an appearance as Captain America and show your support for the Foundation when Alina does her big presentation."

"You want me to wear my suit and dance around like a monkey?" He felt an old, familiar anger grate in his chest.

"I never said anything about dancing or monkeys. In fact, it might be best if you didn't dance. Keeping up appearances and all that," Tony said.

Steve saw Alina stifle a smile and something between jealousy and rage started to form in the pit of his stomach.

"Tony, did you seriously take me off this week's mission so I could stand at some scholarship foundation meeting to impress your rich donor friends?"

Alina stiffened at his words. He felt his heart beat faster. Uh-oh. He had been so caught up in his own emotions that he had forgotten she was spearheading the project. He was in for it now.

"Well, yes," Tony answered matter-of-factly.

Steve looked at Alina, who portrayed nothing but a calm exterior. Damn, the woman would make a great spy. She certainly had the diplomatic training for it. He looked back at Tony.

"What was the part about helping inner-city kids again?" he said.

***


	5. Chapter 5

"Thank you for agreeing to do this, Captain," Alina was saying. They were sitting next to one another now after the call.

"No problem," he said. "Hey, listen. I didn't mean what I said just now. With the mission and the scholarship foundation meeting. It's just...Tony can be really challenging sometimes."

"He can be an ass."

Steve looked up at her in surprise and laughed. She noted the way his laugh lines formed around his face. She joined in, laughing a little.

"He might be difficult to deal with, but his heart's in the right place," she finally said.

Steve looked at her, a hint of jealousy in his eyes. Oddly enough, it thrilled her to no end to realize she could make him jealous.

"We should get back to the presentation," Steve said, clearing his throat. "How can I help?"

"Well, unlike Tony, I do think it might be useful for you to help me with the presentation even if you will only be standing in the room on the day of," she said, pulling up a folder. "For example, what case should we present to the donors about this specific target population? We need to sell them on why urban inner-city kids deserve this funding."

"Well, a lot of urban inner-city kids, no matter how brilliant and talented, don't have parents with truckloads of money lying around."

Alina felt anger grip her. She was used to snide comments when she revealed she was wealthy and while Steve had not said anything about her wealth specifically, the way he said it irritated her. She breathed in.

"Ok, so they lack access to resources. Financial resources."

"Yea," he said, looking away from her. She made a note on her plan.

"Anything else?"

She was beginning to feel like she just wanted to get this meeting over with. Gone was the sexual tension between them from earlier this morning in the gym. It was quickly being replaced by something tedious.

Steve took a second before replying.

"Access to resources is one thing. But funding for public healthcare, parental employment, street safety from gangs, veteran care, orphan care...all that matters too," he said quietly.

She wrote all those points down. They were good points. She thought they sounded personal too. Maybe she should watch that Captain American documentary, after all.

"Steve," she said gently after a few moments. "I'm really sorry if I was insensitive." She touched his arm. "I didn't mean to say that urban inner-city kids didn't deserve this funding. It's just...some rich folks don't get it. You know?"

He looked at her then. "Do you?" he shot back with surprising defiance.

She looked at him in surprise and withdrew her arms. "Not really, no. I guess not." She faltered a little.

She looked at her notes. Her limited education in sociology and economics notwithstanding, Alina knew for a fact that she lived in a cocoon of privilege. Sure, managing the Chen Foundation had opened her eyes to the inequalities that existed in her own country but in her day-to-day life, she spared little to no thought to folks who struggled in ways she never did or had to.

They sat in silence for a bit.

"Hey," Steve sighed. He reached out to clasp her hand in his. "I didn't mean to..." He ran his other hand through his hair. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. I can see you're trying to help."

She looked at him. "No, you're right. I don't get it." Steve looked at her in surprise. "I was born into wealth. All my friends are wealthy. I'll never understand what it means to have to worry about putting food on the table. Or to have to work multiple jobs and still question whether I can save up enough so my children can get an education."

"It sounds like you do get it."

She shrugged, looking at his hand in hers. "I may be crazy rich, but I'm not ignorant."

"No, you're not. You have deep compassion for people. That's what I like about you."

She looked up at him, surprised at the declaration. He looked equally surprised at his own words, but there was a sincerity and tenderness in his eyes that made her heart melt.

"Cap?"

They jumped and separated from one another. Sam looked between them, a knowing smile creeping on his lips.

"What's up, Sam," Steve stood up. Alina pretended to rifle through her notes.

"Nat wanted me to give you an update on the Switzerland mission."

"Ok, let's step outside."

Steve led Sam out of the room, and Alina could not hear much behind the soundproof glass. When he returned to the conference room, she got up.

"We need to find some current statistics on the inner-cities. Anecdotal evidence non-withstanding, donors like to see hard facts. So we need to look into the numbers of youth attending schools, the level of public education for an average child, street safety for children and teenagers, basically everything you just mentioned. Will you help me?"

"Sure," Steve replied.

She walked to the other end of the table and sat down.

"I'll look for the stats on schools and public education first. You take street safety and gang violence as it relates to youth."

He looked confused for a second, asking for a silent explanation as to her move across the table. She glanced at him. Sitting next to this man was far too distracting for her. She needed to get work done.

"We'll accomplish more if we work independently for now," she stated. "I like my space when I'm working," she added.

He looked a little disappointed.

"If you're free later, we can chat more about the project over lunch," she offered.

The way her heart soared when Steve smiled at her words only confirmed her hunch that sitting as far away from him as possible was a good call. She took a deep breath before getting to down to business.

***

"So, what's for lunch?" Steve said, after two hours of intense research and collation of data.

Alina sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"What do you usually do?" she asked him.

"I make a sandwich at the lounge. Want me to make you one?"

She crinkled her nose involuntarily. She wanted something familiar and comforting after reading depressing statistics all morning.

"It doesn't seem like you want a sandwich from me," he said. She stared at him. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "What is it that you want?"

Carefully sidestepping the innuendo behind the question, Alina spoke. "I'd love some _laksa_ right about now."

"What is that and how do we get it?"

"It's a creamy coconut soup with seafood and noodles," Alina's mouth watered at the thought. "And I'm talking about my grandmother's _laksa_. But she's in Singapore right now and we're in New York so I don't think there's anything we can do to get it. Unless Tony has some sort of teleportation device in this building you didn't show me during the tour."

Steve laughed. "Nope. And our in-house chef is away today."

Alina smiled, letting out a small sigh. They stood up and walked to the kitchen together.

"Could you make it?" he asked.

She shook her head and grinned. "I doubt you have galangal or sambal chilli paste in the pantry."

Steve stared at her. He was so adorable when he was clueless.

"It's not a recipe I can make off the cuff. It requires attention and care. Besides, I wouldn't be able to make it like grandma does. I haven't been able to pry the recipe from her." 

"Ah."

Steve moved to the fridge and gathered the sandwich ingredients.

"There is a place in Chinatown that makes something similar," Alina said dreamily.

Steve turned around and looked at her. "New York?"

She nodded.

"We could take the helicopter."

She stared at him. Which one of them was cocooned in privilege again?

"I'll ask the pilot to get prepped. Be ready in 15!"

Alina couldn't help but stare at his ass in those jeans as he ran out of the room.

***

Before she knew it, she was in the air in a helicopter and shortly after, walking around Chinatown next to Steve in disguise.

"Where is this place?" he asked as they navigated the busy streets.

Dressed in a white t-shirt and blue bomber with a popped collar, she felt like his disguise was sorely lacking. Its only saving grace was a blue baseball cap pulled low unto his face. She looked down at her own blouse and jeans, thankful she had time to change.

"It should be right over there."

She led the two of them to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

"Salma's," he said, looking at the sign.

The door was already open thanks to the hot summer air. When they stepped inside, she was hit with some very familiar smells. The place was empty as they had purposefully avoided the lunchtime rush. A middle-aged woman came out from behind the counter and greeted her.

"Ms. Alina! Long time no see!"

When she saw who she was with, the woman's eyes widened. Steve looked at her and smiled.

"Hello ma'am. Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you."

"You're Captain America?"

Alina watched as Steve smiled patiently at her.

"You're Captain America. Ok. You wait here." The woman rushed off.

Alina laughed and led them to a corner table.

"Should I be worried?" Steve asked.

Alina looked at him and smiled. "I would be _very_ worried if I were you."

He looked concerned for a moment.

"I was joking. Gia probably went into the back to get a camera or something."

Steve relaxed. A few minutes later, Gia came back with an elderly woman wearing an apron. She was talking rapidly in Malay.

"This my mother, Salma. She cook here. I told her, you, Captain America, you eat in our restaurant today. She want to meet you, she say."

When Steve saw the elderly woman, he stood up from his seat.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am."

Salma seemed equally, if not more, starstruck than her middle-aged daughter. Alina watched as the older woman reached up and pulled Steve's face to hers, planting a big kiss on his lips. She stifled a laugh. Steve seemed paralyzed at the assault.

After a few minutes of excitable fangirling and cellphone selfies, Gia returned her mother to the kitchen before coming out again.

"You don't need to order, Ms. Alina. I know what you want," Gia said with confidence. "Mama's famous _laksa_."

Alina smiled. "Thank you, Gia." Gia nodded before turning to Steve. "Captain America. My mother cook special meal for you. You gonna like it." Gia turned to leave.

Steve cocked his head and smiled at her when Gia was gone. Dear God, how was he both adorable and sexy at the same time? She couldn't blame Salma for wanting a piece of him.

"Are they always like that here?"

"Always," she nodded and smiled.

"Dang. I was hoping it was only because Captain America was in the building."

Alina laughed. She could feel their feet and knees touching under the very small table. He smiled at her again and she felt a familiar heat in her abdomen. Gia had better not be late with that soup. She was hungry.

***

"I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again. That was one of the best meals I've ever had," Steve was saying. They were back at the compound, making their way back to their rooms.

"I'm glad. I've known Gia for a long time."

"To think she absolutely refused payment for the meal!"

"It's not every day you get to say you cooked for Captain America," Alina said. "Besides, I made sure her rent was paid up for the next few months." Alina put her phone away.

Steve stopped and looked at her.

"That's very decent of you, Alina. Thank you."

She felt goosebumps at the sound of her name on his lips. "I've known them for a long time. They're good people."

"Well, I had a great time," he said, continuing the walk. "I'll be dreaming about that grilled chicken for many nights to come."

"It's called _ayam percik_. It's a Malay dish, I think, but similar to Balinese grilled chicken," Alina explained. "My family owns a beach house in Bali. Maybe I can take you some time."

Did she just offer to take Captain America on a freaking vacation?

"I'd like that," Steve said simply.

They were at the elevators now and had to go their separate ways.

"I had a great time with you today," he repeated. "Thank you for your excellent suggestion. As always, you have incredible taste."

"I had a good time too."

She was unsure how to part, but Steve planted a kiss on her cheek. She closed her eyes, welcoming the invasion of his heady scent on her senses.

"I know you need to make some calls to the donors for the rest of the day. I'll get back to work on putting that presentation together. It should be easy with F.R.I.D.A.Y's help. I'll let you know when it's done. Just let F.R.I.D.A.Y. know if you need me to do anything else."

"Thank you, Steve. For all your help."

Steve smiled and turned around, bouncing down the hallway. She felt her heart sink a little when he disappeared down the left.

She turned and walked away towards her room, her mind wandering to Steve. His laugh. His gentle smile. That lopsided grin he gave her that made her heart skip a beat. She couldn't seem to get enough of him.

Her chest constricted a little at the thought. She was not here for him. She was here for Tony. Tony needed her help with The September Foundation. Steve was...well, an unexpected surprise. She stepped into her room to change back into more appropriate work clothes. Alina looked at herself in the mirror. She had to get her head on straight now. She couldn't let Tony down.

***


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Alina woke up sweating. She was having an intense dream about Steve. They had been kissing, their tongues matched in battle, their bodies in heat...

She tried blinking the dream away for a few moments. She had another long day ahead, liaising with more potential donors and finishing up the presentation Steve had sent yesterday evening.

She turned around on her side. She needed to get those images out of her head if she stood any chance of functioning today. She stood up and rummaged in her jewelry case, taking out a small silver bullet. She went into the bathroom and ran a hot bath. The hotter, the better. She turned on her vibrator and got to work.

***

Steve woke up in an excellent mood. He had spent last night eating dinner with the team as they briefed him on the Switzerland mission. They would be leaving the compound for the next two days headed for Europe. Usually, he would have insisted on accompanying the team for fear of being alone in the compound with no mission. His mind tended to drift to unwanted places when he was alone here. But he wasn't alone. Not this time. When Nat told him the news, he felt his heart skip a beat.

Sam must have noticed something because he started in on him when they did the dishes together. Steve hadn't minded the teasing so much. For the first time in a long time, he felt his heart was lighter, the shadows in his mind further away.

He brushed his hair, looking at the time on his watch. It was almost nine a.m. He put on his clothes, selecting a grey t-shirt. He knew the effect his t-shirts had on Alina. Ever so often, he would catch her raking him over with her eyes. He grinned, putting the shirt on and went out the door, making his way to the Quinjet hangar.

When he got there, he saw Natasha, Wanda, and Sam packing their things into the Quinjet.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Nat remarked. Wanda smiled at him.

"I'm sure everyone knows the answer to that," Sam said.

Steve smiled, good-naturedly at his friend.

"No comeback? Damn, you've got it bad, Cap."

"Who's got what bad?" Vision said, entering the jet with Rhodes.

"Stevie's in love," Sam said, jerking his thumb over at him. Steve choked slightly at the word. Rhodes grinned his way.

"Leave him alone, Sam," Wanda said.

"Yeah, leave me alone, Sam. Can't a guy be happy around here without having to answer for it?"

"Nope," Sam said.

"Sam, get your butt up here," Nat called out from the front of the jet.

Sam smirked and moved to the front. Steve smiled his thanks to Wanda for her solidarity.

"OK, team. It's time to get going," Nat announced. "Steve, we'll let you know when we've landed in Switzerland. Expect an update in four to five hours."

"Will do. Good luck, team. I'll miss you guys."

"Liar," Sam called out from the front.

Nat smiled at him. He walked out of the jet and watched it lift off vertically and zoom off like lightning into the air.

***

It was one of those days Steve had entirely to himself. No missions, no training, no paperwork. In the past, he would have spent all day exercising, trying to run from or punch out the strange, dark thoughts that lived in his head. Today, he decided he was going to make the most of his day.

Alina had sent a message to him via F.R.I.D.A.Y. earlier, notifying him that she would be working on the presentation alone this morning. When he sent a message back asking if she wanted his help, she had replied with a single word response. No. He was disappointed, but within a few minutes, she sent another message, telling him that she would run through the whole thing in front of him in the afternoon. He was looking forward to that.

He spent the morning at the gym and ate a leisurely breakfast of pancakes and eggs. After a long shower, he decided to watch a few episodes of Star Trek. Right before he sat down to eat lunch, he received an update that the team had landed in Switzerland. It was all clear. He ate lunch before heading to the outdoor garage and working on his Harley. The thing desperately needed to be ridden.

After an hour or two, he decided to head back inside. It was almost three p.m. No word from Alina. She must be busy. Steve wanted to send her a message but decided against it. He didn't want to disturb her. A small voice in his mind told him that he really shouldn't be too needy either.

He decided to bring some drawing supplies outdoors. Drawing soothed him when the thoughts threatened to invade. The fresh air helped. He tried and failed to do some sketching, opting to sit under his favorite oak tree instead. Before he knew it, he had dozed off in the shade.

Later, he woke up with the sun shining directly in his face. What time was it? He sat up. It had been such a peaceful day. They were rare and thus, exceedingly precious. He stood up and stretched. Time to get back inside.

When he entered through the front doors, F.R.I.D.A.Y. beeped at him.

"Captain, Ms. Chen has a message for you."

"What is it?"

"She requests you join her on the lower level in section 2D."

He was confused. Wasn't that the indoor pool? What was she doing there?

"Tell her I'll be right there."

He practically ran over, anticipation at an all-time high. It would be the first time he was seeing Alina today. It had only been 24 hours since their lunch date in Chinatown, but he wanted to see her again. He had such a good time with her yesterday. He felt almost normal.

He hummed, recalling lunch. They had shared a plate of food, and afterward, he took out his notebook and wrote "Singaporean food" on his list, under shawarmas and Thai food. He quickened his step towards section 2D.

Alina had been surprisingly chatty over the meal too. He noticed that delicious food had that effect on her. Steve liked that she was always willing to open up to him, and he enjoyed listening to the stories she told him. He learned that she had spent her childhood in Singapore before moving to London for high school and then later to New York at Julliard for dance and music. She sustained a severe ankle injury while dancing and could not continue with the discipline in a professional capacity.

"My left ankle," she said. Steve recalled how she was massaging her foot on the tour the first day they met. Had it only been two days ago?

After that, her parents had wanted her to get involved in the family business, so she attended M.I.T. to complete her M.B.A. but not before negotiating completion of her music degree at the same time.

Steve smiled. The woman was intelligent, ambitious, and well-traveled. He wanted to know more about how she saw the world. He liked that listening to her stories made him feel like what he was fighting for — with the Avengers, against Hydra — was worth it. Curiously, it also made him feel less like everything and everyone depended on him and what he was doing here. He could breathe around her. He liked that. He liked her.

When he stepped into section 2D, he saw Alina sitting by the side of the pool with her feet in her water. There was an instrumental song playing in the room. She was wearing what he now recognized as her version of a work uniform - a pretty blouse with a pencil skirt. She looked powerful and confident in those clothes. It was irresistibly sexy.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself."

Something about the way she said that gave him goosebumps. He felt something take root in the bottom of his stomach.

"I thought you were going to give me a preview of the presentation this afternoon. You never called for me." The small voice in his head snorted at his eagerness.

She looked at him. "I was going to, but _someone_ fell asleep outdoors. It's nearly five p.m, Steve."

"Oh, my goodness. I'm so sorry, Alina. I completely lost track of time."

Alina shrugged. "I'm pretty much done with work today. I think I'm ready for Thursday's presentation." She smiled up at him, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

He walked over and kicked off his shoes. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to the space beside her.

"Sure."

He sat down next to her. The water was warm. Maybe he should swim more often.

"So, you're feeling ready for Thursday, huh?"

"I just want it to go well. It's important to Tony."

Steve felt a pang of jealousy in his chest at the mention of Tony's name.

"You'll do great."

He reached out and squeezed her hand. She looked at him, and he felt his heart beat faster. He cleared his throat.

"So, why are you sitting by the pool?"

"I like the water. It soothes me."

"Ah."

An idea was beginning to form in his mind. Alina was silent, listening intently to the song playing.

"What song is this?" he asked.

"It's mine, actually. One of my first original compositions. I call it Heart of the Warrior. It was for my grandfather."

Steve listened to the tune. She composed this? He might be a superhero, but he was pretty sure this woman was in a class of her own.

He watched as Alina listened to the intense, dramatic tune, with eyes closed. He looked down to see her fingers moving in time with the song. She looked exceptionally beautiful.

He reached out and stroked her arm. She opened her eyes and looked at him. The music slowed down and became softer. He looked at her lips, asking for silent permission. She breathed out, maintaining her gaze. Taking that as a yes, he closed the gap between them. He held his breath, relishing in the feeling of her lips on his. How long ago had they kissed? He couldn't remember, but he found himself wondering why he hadn't done this much sooner.

The music picked up in pace. Steve increased the intensity of the kiss, opening his mouth. She returned the gesture. He felt himself get excited as he was granted entrance into her mouth. He carefully edged his tongue in, finding hers. The song seemed to encourage him as it went into a slow crescendo. She softly massaged her tongue against his. He shifted his body to gain more access to hers.

He tugged her closer and stroked her back as their tongues danced around each other. He felt her sigh into his mouth. Emboldened, he brought his hands up to the front of her shirt. He slowly moved his hand up to her chest, and when she didn't stop him, carefully stroked one of her breasts over her silk shirt. He felt his entire lower body go hard as he fondled her over her bra.

She let out a low sigh into his mouth again. He grabbed her harder. She made an indistinguishable noise at the back of her throat. He felt her hands wander to his neck, massaging the back of his head and felt chills run down his spine.

She broke her lips away from him. He continued kissing her across her jaw and down her neck.

"Steve," she breathed out. He loved the way she said his name. He needed her to say it again. He gently bit the skin on her neck before kissing it again. She let out a sharp breath.

"Steve," she said with more authority this time.

He stopped. Alina's pupils were blown wide, making her eyes look almost black.

"There are cameras in this room," she said, looking up at the ceiling. Her face was flushed pink. She looked down at her feet in the water.

He looked up at the ceiling. God damn Tony Stark and his state-of-the-art security system. Alina adjusted her blouse.

After a few moments of silence, Alina breathed out. "I should get going. I need to eat something."

"How about I pack us some food and take you down by the water?" he blurted out.

She furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Let me take you to Coney Island."

"Now? How? The helicopter again?"

He smiled and shook his head.

"Ever ridden a motorcycle?"

***

Alina had her arms around Steve's waist as she straddled the seat of his Harley-Davidson. She could feel the strong engine reverberate through her body, shaking her through to her core. She wrapped her arms tighter against him.

When he had proposed taking her down to the beach by Coney Island, she initially wanted to refuse. It was a bad idea. She successfully managed to avoid him the whole day. She had work to do. She couldn't let Tony or his foundation down. Even if she decided not to chair the board, she wanted to make sure money was raised to get to those kids who needed it. Alina had wandered to the pool to de-stress. When she asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to access her private music page online, she chose to play grandpa's song, searching for some sort of comfort, only to feel like she wanted nothing more than Steve's company.

When he came to her, slightly out of breath, she all but stood up and pushed him against the wall to have her way with him. They had made out at the edge of the pool, her thinking nothing but sinful thoughts of him wet and naked.

She didn't trust her judgment when she was alone with him. What happened to the plan on not leading the good Captain on? A voice in her head confirmed that the plan had been decimated the moment she saw him at the gym yesterday. She couldn't get the image of him flexing and punching out of her head. That waist. That ass. Even a long, private session in the bath this morning had not satisfied her.

Then, he had proposed taking her on his motorcycle. Steve Rogers owned a motorcycle? The 16-year-old renegade in her — the one who sneaked out to party at night, the one who yearned for attention from the local bad boys — practically squealed. Her curiosity was piqued.

When she walked out the front doors of the compound a half-hour later, she hadn't been disappointed. Steve was straddling a huge, shiny, black motorcycle in a brown leather jacket and beige khakis. She knew right then she was a goner. This man could do anything he wanted to her, and she would happily oblige him. When he smiled at her, she felt her coil wind up so tight in her abdomen, it hurt.

"Here, these are for you."

He handed her a black helmet and gloves. She put them on. They fit perfectly. He grinned that trademark lopsided grin at her.

"How do I look?" she asked, striking a pose.

"Amazing," he responded. She blushed.

He had taken her along the length of the motorcycle, showing her how to mount, sit on, and dismount properly. Then, he showed her how to maintain a neutral angle while leaning over his inside shoulder when they went around corners.

"You're going to have to hold on to me tight when I'm braking."

"How convenient for you," she teased. Steve grinned again.

He carefully ran through the essential non-verbal communications — a variety of taps on the left or right shoulder (or both) to signal stop, thumbs up, down or sideways for check-ins, and a patting motion to slow down. Somewhere in the back of Alina's mind, she marveled at Steve's ability to articulate things clearly and confidently. She wondered if this was how he was like leading missions.

"Got all that?"

She nodded, feeling a little nervous. She could play multiple instruments, do basic kung fu, and manage a charity foundation. She could do this. She took a deep breath.

"It'll be about an hour-long ride, so prepare yourself. Let me know if you want a break. We can stop along the way if you want."

She nodded.

"Ready?" She nodded again.

"Let's go."

She carefully mounted the motorcycle. She felt a thrill shoot through her as Steve started the engine, and they rode away. The first few moments on the motorcycle felt like pure, unadulterated freedom.

***

They rode up to the seaside at Coney Island near sunset. He took them to a quieter part of the beach, away from the tourists and fairgoers. Alina dismounted, still feeling the reverberations of the engine running through her bones.

"How was the ride?" he asked.

"Exhilarating."

Steve watched her remove the helmet, letting her hair fall around her face. He had to restrain himself from marching over and ravishing her on the spot. Instead, he grabbed the bag of food he carried and sat down by the water. Alina joined him.

They sat side by side in silence for a while, her nibbling on a bit of food. Steve looked out at the rides, hearing the sounds of far-away laughter.

"See the rollercoaster over there?" he said, pointing at the amusement park. "My best friend, Bucky, convinced me to ride it once. I threw up so much after."

Alina looked at the ride, and her eyes grew wide. "I would throw up too. How old is that thing anyway if you're almost 100? I hope they keep up with the maintenance on it."

Steve laughed.

After a few moments, she ventured a tentative question. "Do you miss it?"

"Miss what?"

She hesitated. "All of it. The good old days."

Steve paused at the question. Sam had asked him the same question when they first met. Back then, he gave Sam the answer he thought the man wanted to hear. He looked at Alina. She was looking out into the water.

"Yes."

She stared into the ocean, wind in her hair. He wished he had something to draw with to capture the moment.

"No."

He sighed.

"It's difficult to say. Some days, like today, I can occupy myself enough not to think about it. Other days, it's not so easy."

Alina nodded in silent understanding.

"Grief is fickle, isn't it?" She started. "I feel the same way about my grandfather. He died last year after a long and painful battle with cancer."

Steve itched to reach out and touch her hand, but something stopped him. He waited for her to continue.

"I loved him. My grandfather. He was the first man I ever loved."

Steve couldn't stop himself any longer. He wrapped an arm around Alina's shoulder and pulled her in, closer to him. She rested her head on him. He hugged her tight, trying to communicate his friendship and love in that one gesture.

Love.

He felt his heart stop at the thought. Alina must have realized that he stiffened because she lifted her head.

"Steve? Are you ok?"

"Yes."

He hugged her for another few moments then let go. She settled down next to him in silence. He was immediately consumed by his thoughts.

Was he falling in love? He looked at her. She was looking back out at the ocean, transfixed by the waves. Curiously, he felt excited at the possibility. It had been so long since he felt this way about anyone. He convinced himself he wouldn't be able to love anyone as much as he did Peggy. But Peggy had lived her life. Peggy was dying. He couldn't go back to her no matter how much he wanted to.

But Alina...

Alina was strong. Beautiful. Kind. Sharp. Witty. She was full of surprises. He snorted a little, thinking about the gym session yesterday when she had taken Sam down with that one kung fu move.

"What's so funny?"

"I was thinking about yesterday morning when you took Sam down at the gym."

She smirked. "That was fun."

"I don't think he would agree."

"Losers never do."

He looked at her in surprise and laughed a little.

"I'm not sure if I should be intimidated or inspired by your competitive streak."

"Definitely inspired." She winked at him. "Was that the only thing you were thinking about with regards to yesterday's gym session?"

He looked at her and shot his eyebrows up.

"You mean the stunt you pulled on the treadmill?"

She looked at him, her eyes twinkling. He moved his head closer to hers.

"I never did pay you back for that."

"No, you did not," she whispered.

He closed the space between them rapidly, pulling her into his arms and kissing her full on the mouth.

There was no tentativeness from either of them this time. The two of them had been here before a few hours ago, and each knew what to do. Steve broke for air and kissed her neck, the same spot he did previously, and elicited a small groan from her. The sound thrilled him to his core.

She grabbed him by his neck and redirected him to her lips, where their tongues aggressively wrestled for domination. He sat genie-style and pulled her easily unto his lap. She straddled him with her knees on either side of the sand. She let her hands roam free on his back, and he allowed his hands to do the same on her.

She broke for air and moved to sit on his lap. He instinctively supported her with his hands, pulling her in closer, taking the opportunity to squeeze what he was holding onto. He let his free hand roam under her shirt. When she didn't stop him, he reached around and unhooked her bra then, caressed over a breast in his hand. She gasped at the teasing contact.

He felt her hands on his shoulders, pressing and squeezing. He captured her lips with his, and they continued kissing while he massaged her soft chest. She rolled into his hips, and he almost buckled from the sheer pleasure. His head was swimming.

She rammed her lips into his and continued to roll her hips. It took all of his strength not to lose control.

After what felt like an eternity of hard grinding, she slowed down. Steve both cursed and thanked God for the sweet relief. When they finally broke apart, they were both panting. Alina's cheeks were flushed pink, the same color as her mouth.

"That was some very good payback," he commented after a few moments. "Though I get the feeling you were the one getting revenge on me. Now how did that happen?"

"I told you I like to win."

He grinned at her and kissed her again before setting her down on the sand next to him.

The sun was beginning to set. Alina readjusted her bra deftly and rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed her hair. They watched the sunset fully into the ocean, finding every opportunity to touch one another. Steve felt like his heart could burst from the sheer joy he was feeling.

When they mounted his Harley again, he felt Alina's hands wrap around his waist. She stroked his waist, absently on the hour-long ride home. He forced himself to focus attention away from the fact that her hands were so close to his nether regions.

They rode back in the darkness, and when they finally entered the Avengers compound, they walked back into the building hand in hand.

He walked her back to her room, and when they reached her door, she turned into him and pulled him unto her lips.

"What about the cameras?" he said, pulling back after a few moments.

"Let them watch."

He kissed her, hard and deep, desire running through his body as he tangled his hands through her hair.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked when they broke apart again.

"Are you sure? It's getting late."

She stared at him. "That's kind of the point."

He hesitated. "Maybe next time."

She looked at him closely. "Ok." She kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Captain."

"Goodnight, Ms. Chen."

***

Alina flopped on the bed, dissatisfied. What the hell was wrong with him? They had had such a good time. This afternoon, he made a move at the pool then, again by the beach. He was so irresistibly confident — so commanding, so in control as she tried to push him over the edge.

What went wrong? She saw the hesitation in his eyes when she invited him inside just now. There was another emotion swirling underneath - something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Fear? Guilt? Panic?

She huffed and got up, going into the bathroom to search for her silver bullet from this morning. She retrieved it from the side of the bathtub and slowly undressed. She slipped into bed, under the covers. It seemed like she would have to take care of herself again tonight.

***


	7. Chapter 7

The following morning, Alina woke up from another dream about Steve. They were by the water again, but on the beach in Bali this time. He was lying down next to her, shirtless, his blonde hair gleaming in the sun. She blinked. This was beginning to get ridiculous.

She looked at the silver bullet by her bedside then shook her head. Nope. No more. This madness had to end. Steve made it clear last night that he did not want her, and he was not willing to tell her why. A small voice in her head whispered a woman's name.

She went into the bathroom and undressed, gritting her teeth as the cold air hit her. Then she took her palms and slapped her body with her hands in preparation for a cold shower. She would beat these thoughts out of her mind and drown them in ice if she had to. Then, she turned on the shower and yelped when the cold water hit her body. Almost all lustful thoughts of Steve Rogers were gone then. Almost.

She got dressed for work and stared at herself in the mirror, trying to come up with a plan on how to avoid him today. If she could make it through until tomorrow's presentation, she would be ok. All she needed to do was give the presentation, and she could return home. Back to normal life.

She sighed, moving to the adjoining room with a desk. She answered some emails, wrote reminders to her executive assistant, and wrote some messages of congratulations to one of the donors for the Chen Foundation. The woman just welcomed her first grandchild, and she wanted to make sure that the Chens sent her something special in celebration.

Her mind wandered. Tony had explicitly asked for her help because of her experience running her own family's foundation. She still didn't know if she wanted to work for him. Tony was an old friend and had always been a good one. Their lifestyles and schedules meant that they rarely met in person, but they kept in touch frequently. He would remember every performance she had, and she would find a beautiful bouquet of flowers from him after each performance. She made it a point to call him every birthday. She knew he struggled with that day as it reminded him of his mother. He wouldn't always pick up her call, but he always replied to her a few days later, thanking her for remembering. From time to time, a small gift would appear on her doorstep out of the blue. They were almost always small trinkets from his travels with a personalized note he scrawled like "Saw this. Thought of you!" She smiled, thinking of him.

But all that stopped five years ago. Tony was kidnapped by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan. She remembered tuning into BBC every night to see if there was word of him. Alina had reached out to Pepper, then his executive assistant, but Pepper was just as worried about the situation. Alina had not wanted to burden the woman with her own anxieties, especially since she was unsure of Pepper's relationship to Tony at the time. She also respected that Pepper was trying to keep Stark Industries afloat in the absence of its CEO. Alina sighed at the memories.

She turned off the computer. Nothing was the same in the world after Tony came out as Iron Man. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath -- waiting for something to happen to make sense of his revelation. Then the Battle of New York happened, and Alina knew then, everything had changed.

She watched the TV in horror as aliens — hostile aliens — invaded New York City through a portal in the sky. She recalled praying then, stumbling over long-forgotten words. Then, as if her prayers were answered, she watched the Avengers arrive on-site. Tony was there, in his Iron Man suit, flanked by a giant, hulking green beast, a Norwegian demigod, a red-headed woman in a skintight suit, a man with a bow and arrow and Steve. Well, Captain America.

She shook her head. No matter what she did, she could not get Steve out of her head. She stood up and went to the bathroom, spraying cold water on her face. She needed to get out of here. Out of this compound. Away from him. But how?

She suddenly felt trapped within these walls, finding it hard to breathe. It was like the walls were closing in.

"Ms. Chen, I am sensing an increased heart rate and elevated levels of cortisol in your body. Do you require assistance?" F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice floated over the room in concern.

She breathed in, ignoring the A.I.

"Should I call Captain Rogers?"

"No!"

Alina breathed in deeply, focusing on her breath. In and out, in and out. After a few moments, she looked at herself in the mirror again.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., I need to leave the compound. How can I do this?"

"There are several options for transportation out of the compound. May I inquire as to where you are going?"

She paused. "60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City."

"Very well. Do you intend to leave now?"

"Yes."

"One moment as I search for available transportation."

A few seconds later, F.R.I.D.A.Y. beeped. "Ms. Chen, a car will be waiting for you at the front gate in ten minutes to take you to The Julliard School."

"Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y."

"Have a pleasant trip, Ms. Chen."

Alina gathered her things and left the building.

***

Steve spent the morning, sending messages to Alina. None had been returned. He assumed she was busy preparing for tomorrow's presentation. But hadn't she said she was ready yesterday? He went to the gym and tried to exercise but couldn't keep his focus. He checked his watch. Still, no replies. It was almost lunchtime.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., locate Alina Chen."

"Ms. Chen is not on the premises."

Steve frowned. Not on the premises? Where was she?

"Where is she?"

"She left for New York City an hour ago."

"Where was she headed?"

Steve wondered if she had left for Stark Industries headquarters. Maybe she wanted to practice for tomorrow's big presentation. But why wouldn't she tell him?

"Ms. Chen was headed to The Julliard School."

Steve furrowed his brows in confusion. Julliard? He hesitated. Something was wrong.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, please prepare a car. I will be heading to Julliard."

"Very well, sir."

He took his gym bag and walked out of the gym.

***

"Alina!"

Alina smiled at the executive assistant in the Dean of Students Office. Wynn was a consistent factor at the school. She had been here when Alina attended Julliard over a decade ago, and she was still here. The woman must have been 70, but she looked not a day over 50.

"How are you? How is your family?" Wynn asked.

"They are well, thank you for asking. Mother and father are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary in Bangkok. How are you? How are the grandchildren?"

Wynn smiled. "My family will be coming in two weeks for July 4th. I'm looking forward to that." She paused for a bit. "So what brings you here today?"

"I was in the city and felt a calling to play."

"I understand. Anything for the Chens."

Wynn smiled. The Chens donated money to the school when Alina was accepted. It was her father's way of making sure she was taken of. Alina never agreed or liked her father's methods, but today, she thanked him at the back of her mind. She knew leveraging her family's name and wealth in this way was wrong, but she gave herself permission to do it this one time. She needed to be somewhere she felt comfortable and safe, and Julliard had been her home away home when she lived in the city.

"Let me check if there any music rooms free at the moment." Wynn tapped on her keyboard for a few moments. "How long are you in the city?" she asked, making conversation.

"Only a few more days."

Her heart sank at the thought, and her stomach tightened in a knot. Once the presentation was over tomorrow, she would return home Saturday morning.

Wynn hit a few more keys. "We have a couple of rooms free for the next hour or so. Did you want to play the flute or piano?"

Alina was impressed with the woman's memory.

"I'm feeling like the flute today."

"A flute is available in all rooms with a piano."

"Alright."

"Right this way, Ms. Chen."

Wynn left her desk, and they walked to the conservatory practice wing together. Wynn left after showing Alina the room.

"Just come back to my office once you're done."

"Thank you for this, Wynn."

The assistant smiled and closed the door behind her. Alina looked around the room. There was natural light streaming in from the large south-facing window, dousing the piano in the corner with soft light. She walked over and sat down, playing the first few notes of the piece she was currently composing. After running through it for 45 minutes and coming up short, she gave up. She reached for the flute and started playing a familiar tune.

Twenty minutes into her playing, someone knocked at the door. She had hoped the room would be free for at least another hour.

"It's Wynn."

"Coming," she called out.

She sighed. Perhaps she could convince Wynn to let her stay for a little while longer. Alina put the flute back gently and gathered her things.

Wynn beamed at her when she opened the door. "There is a man here to see you. He says his name is Steve Rogers."

Alina looked down the hallway, and her stomach constricted at the sight of Steve. What was he doing here? He was wearing a button-down under his brown leather jacket, looking every inch a modern gentleman. When he saw her, he smiled. She felt her body betray her, her heart skipping several beats.

"Can I use this room a little longer?"

The older woman's eyes sparkled. "Yes. You have another hour until the next booking block."

"Thank you, Wynn."

The woman left, walking past Steve. She gave him a look, somewhere between wonder and amusement.

"Hey," he said, coming up to the door.

"Hello."

She avoided eye contact and walked away from him, sitting at the piano bench facing the keys. She fiddled with a few keys.

"I tried searching for you at the compound this morning, but you weren't there. Why didn't you tell me you left?"

"I'm a grown woman, Steve. I can go wherever I want."

She felt him flinch at her words. There was a long pause before he spoke.

"Is something wrong?"

"I just felt like playing music."

"There's a conservatory at the compound."

She didn't answer.

He lifted a chair and placed it next to her.

"What's going on?"

She stared at his face and felt her heart do things she never knew possible.

"I like you, Steve. I really do."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I know we'd only just met, and I'm here for Tony."

He narrowed his eyes at the sound of the other man's name, and Alina felt a thrill shoot up her spine.

"I'm here because of Tony," she asserted. "For his foundation. But I don't know what this is between us."

She gestured to the space between them. There was a long moment of silence.

"I like you too, Alina," Steve said softly.

It was her turn to look at him.

"But you're right. I don't know what this is."

She sighed and turned back to face the piano, fiddling with a key.

"I'm sorry about last night."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I didn't come here because you refused my invitation to spend the night. How big is your ego that you think this is about your sexual rejection of me?"

"I didn't..." he sputtered.

Alina furrowed her eyebrows and moved to play a full song. She knew exactly the one to get rid of him. Steve grabbed her hands to stop her.

"I didn't mean that. I mean..."

He huffed in frustration. Alina glared at his hands in hers, and he quickly removed them. There was the same swirl of emotions in his eyes that she saw last night.

"I wanted to spend the night with you."

She paused, heart beating in her chest. "Then why did you say no?"

"Because..." He sighed again. "I was afraid."

"Of what?"

He stopped for a long moment.

"Of this. Of myself."

She waited.

"I've never...been with anyone before. Not in that way. Peggy and I...we only ever kissed that one time. There've been others since then, and we've...but I never went all the way."

He looked at her with those soft blue eyes, and for a second, she could see a smaller man, nervous and uncertain.

She took his hand, finally understanding his hesitation. Here was a man who looked like he was carved out of marble by Michelangelo himself, who had lived not one, but two lifetimes, who fought wars, led people into battle, a war hero, an Avenger, a superhero by all accounts...and he did not know what to do with himself.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

He shrugged, avoiding her gaze. "I thought it would never happen for me before...And then, when I became Captain America, it wasn't important anymore."

"What wasn't important? Sex?"

He blushed at her use of the word. "Well, yeah. That. Romance. I was off fighting a war. Still am. So I just decided to wait."

"For what?"

Steve looked at her with a mix of wonder and sadness in his face.

"For the right partner."

He looked at the ground and was quiet for a long moment. Alina understood without him having to say anything. He had waited for Peggy, but then he had gone into the ice. When he woke up, Peggy was dying, and he was still Steve.

Alina squeezed his hand. He looked up at her.

"But then I met you a few days ago. And you were beautiful. _Are_ beautiful," Steve didn't look at her face when he said it. "And smart. And kind and funny."

Alina felt her heart soar at the barrage of words coming her way.

"You remind me so much of her."

Her stomach constricted a little.

"You're both so..."

"Amazing?" Alina offered.

Steve laughed. She felt the gravity lighten up in the room.

"I was going to say, strong. But yea, that too," Steve continued. "I never thought I would meet someone like her ever again. But I did. I met you."

Something about what Steve said felt wrong, but before Alina could process what, he captured her lips in a kiss. It was urgent and desperate. She felt herself sink into his mouth. He stood up from his chair and lifted her up with him.

He pushed her into the wall behind her, never leaving her lips and trapped her there. His tongue was in her mouth, one hand in her hair and the other squeezing her hip. He rolled his hips into hers, and she felt her knees almost buckle.

She kissed him back, hard. She had dreamt about this. When he rolled his hips again, she did the same. It elicited a small groan from his lips. He moved the hand from her hip to her shirt, unbuttoning the top few buttons. When he gained access to her chest, he left her lips and kissed down her neck, along her collarbone and down into her breasts. His hands traveled down her back and squeezed her. She felt herself get excited.

He traveled back up her neck, kissing her jaw and ending on her lips again. They gyrated against one another, the friction and heat between them increasing. It was getting difficult to breathe. Alina watched as Steve buried his face into her hair, kissing and sucking her neck. The feeling of his excitement grinding against her thigh drove her wild. She moaned.

There was a sharp knock at the door. They jumped and broke apart.

"Hello? Are you almost done in there? I booked this room for two p.m.," a voice called out from the other side of the door.

'I'll be right out!"

She looked at him. He grinned sheepishly at her, running his fingers through his hair. She swallowed. All she needed was five more minutes in this room with him.

There was knocking at the door again, much louder this time.

"One minute!"

She adjusted her clothes and saw him do the same, adjusting the front of his jeans. She felt heat rush to her face. When they were ready, she grabbed her purse, and he offered his arm. She took it and walked out.

"Thank you for waiting," Alina said.

"She's all yours, kid," Steve added with a smile.

The student on the other side of the door looked surprised to see two people exit a previously silent music room. When he realized that one of them was Captain America, his jaw dropped. Alina and Steve walked past him, smiling to one another.

***


	8. Chapter 8

They were at Prachya Thai in Queens. Alina wanted to eat before returning to the compound, and after what happened back in the music room at Juilliard, Steve was more than happy to oblige. He drank some water, his head a little giddy. Dear God, if he had just another few minutes in that room with her, he feared he would have taken her right then and there.

He looked over at Alina, who was studying the menu. It didn't seem right to him that she looked completely untouched when their bodies had been in heat half an hour ago.

He cleared his throat, and she glanced up at him. He smiled at her and saw her cheeks flush. A sense of satisfaction soared through his body. Alina looked back at the menu.

"How'd you hear about this place?" she asked after a few moments.

"Happy. It's one of his favorite Thai places."

"Ah."

Steve knew so little about this New York. He was happy to be able to suggest this place.

"I'm getting the hot and spicy soup and some rice. I wonder if the fish is good here. What do you usually get? Please do not say the _pad thai_."

He looked at her and said nothing. She laughed.

"Alright fine. Get your _pad thai_. I'm ordering the fish."

He nodded, smiling.

The server who took their order did not seem to notice that Captain America was sitting at the table. Steve looked at Alina when the server left.

"She didn't seem too bothered that I'm here." He looked around. There was only one other table that was occupied. They had managed to avoid the lunchtime rush again. An older couple sat together in silence, sharing a meal.

"Should she be?"

"Well, I _am_ Captain America."

Alina rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself, Captain. I don't think the people in Queens care that much."

He shot his eyebrows up at her casual impertinence. She drank some water without breaking eye contact with him. He felt a familiar sensation in his jeans. Oh boy. She was trouble.

Alina turned her attention to the T.V. in the corner, watching the international news. Something happening in the palm oil industry seemed to catch her attention. She took out her phone and typed a note into it.

"I need to do some work when we get back."

He felt his heart sink. Alina opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the server bringing the food.

They had a pleasant lunch together. Alina asked him about the training program he was implementing for the team. He went through the gauntlet of mixed martial arts instructors Hill had access to. She listened with interest and seemed to recognize some names from the list. When he asked her how she knew kung fu, she told him about the classes she took until she was a teenager. They talked about different kinds of martial arts — from techniques to philosophy. Steve was impressed with her knowledge on the subject. Where knowledge was lacking, Alina showed real curiosity, asking him some very thoughtful questions. He made a note to propose a session in the gym so that he could show her a few moves. He wouldn't mind seeing her in tight sweatpants again. They did wonders for her already lithe body. They ended the meal on a quiet note.

"What'd you think of the place?" Steve asked when the meal was over.

"It was good. Thank you for the suggestion." She looked at her phone and typed a note in it.

Whatever it was she saw on the news during lunch must have really affected her. Steve sighed. He disliked how information was available anytime, anywhere now. You couldn't even eat a meal without being interrupted.

She looked up when he sighed, and her eyes softened. She put her phone away.

"I enjoyed myself at lunch. Thank you for the wonderful company, Steve."

He smiled at her, his heart soaring. A voice in his head scoffed at his eagerness.

When they returned to the compound, they walked into the lobby together.

"I have to make some calls to Singapore. I won't be available for dinner."

Steve nodded, feeling disappointed. He wanted to spend time with her before the team returned the next morning and they no longer had the compound to themselves. She must have noticed the emotion on his face because she took his jaw in her hand and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"Come by my room after dinner tonight. Eight o'clock. We'll finish what we started."

With that, she walked away towards the main conference room. He felt his heart hammering through his chest.

***

Steve was sitting on his bed, looking at the clock on the wall. It was fifteen minutes to eight. He stood up and paced the room, Alina's invitation ringing in his ears.

_We'll finish what we started._

His stomach was doing things that made him feel nauseous. He rarely felt this sensation anymore. Steve took a deep breath in.

It wasn't that he didn't want to see Alina. It was that he wished things were different.

He had imagined his first time so many times before, and none of it had gone this way.

Most times, when he imagined it, it was with Peggy. Once or twice, it was with Natasha. A voice in his head reminded him of that instance he thought of Wanda.

But Alina? Alina, he never expected. The arresting beauty had waltzed into his life unexpectedly a few days ago, and he could not seem to get enough of her. He had almost taken her today in public, for Pete's sakes. Her hair, her scent, her hips, her smile. He found himself smiling, just thinking about her.

He shook his head.

He could fix this. He would ask Alina out on a date first. Their lunches together and the trip to Coney Island didn't count. Shouldn't count. He wanted to ask her out to dinner and then, a dance. If things got serious after, he would surrender to it.

He looked at the clock again. It was ten minutes to eight. He breathed in and steeled his resolve. Alina was a lady and he would treat her as he knew she deserved to be treated. He let out a breath and stepped out of his room.

***

Alina finished work and dinner by seven and had spent the last hour getting ready. After a hot shower, she looked at her limited options for tonight. Typically, if she were expecting a man, she would wear her favorite silk nightgown and its matching robe. But she had not expected to do anything but work on this trip.

She looked at her black bra and panties and put them on. They would have to do. She misted the rest of her body with a few light sprays of perfume and threw a bathrobe over herself. She tied it casually around her waist, showing a hint of what was underneath. Satisfied, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. At eight p.m. sharp, there was a beep at the door.

"Ms. Chen, Captain Rogers is at the door," F.R.I.D.A.Y. alerted her.

"Let him in."

When the door opened, she saw Steve at the doorway. He froze when he saw her, his eyes traveling down her body and landing on the bit of exposed bra on her chest. She smiled.

"Hello, Steve. Come on in."

He was wearing the same jeans from earlier but had switched out the button down for a t-shirt. She couldn't wait to rip it off him. Steve was still standing at the doorway, looking stunned. With a little shake of his head, he gathered himself up and entered. The door closed behind him.

"Hello, Alina."

Something was wrong. She could hear it in his voice. She felt a pit form at the bottom of her stomach. Before she could stop herself, she moved towards him and kissed him. His heady natural scent intermingled with her perfume. It made her woozy. When she tried to deepen the kiss, he pulled away. She felt the pit in her stomach drop.

"Alina, I have something to say."

A million things ran through her head — did she do something wrong, inviting him here tonight? Did he decide he didn't want this after all? But what about what happened earlier today at Julliard? Confusion, fear, and frustration swirled in her belly.

"What is it?"

Steve cleared his throat and met her eyes.

"I would like to take you out on a date. Tomorrow night."

"A date?" she said incredulously. _That's_ what he had been thinking about? "Tomorrow night?" she heard herself say, frustration thinly veiled.

He looked at her for a moment and chuckled. She narrowed her eyes and folded her arms.

"It's not funny, Steve. After what you pulled this afternoon at Julliard...I thought you wanted this."

He smiled a sincere apology, looking frustratingly cute. Nope. He was not going to get away with it that easy.

"I do want this," he said, eyes darting to her chest. "But you deserve a proper date," he asserted. "Let me take you out to dinner after the presentation tomorrow. We'll dance after and we can see what happens then."

She stared at him. She had never wanted a man as badly as she wanted Steve Rogers in this very moment. And he was right in front of her, teasing her with that absurdly irresistible grin. She took in a deep breath. Dear God, if something did not happen soon, she felt like she might explode.

"Fine."

She huffed. Steve grinned her way, and she couldn't decide if she wanted to punch him in his perfect teeth or eat his face off. Maybe both.

Steve moved to kiss her on the lips, but she turned her face away. He flinched a little at the rejection and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. His lips were full and soft. Her heart thumped in her chest as she fought to keep herself from pushing him unto the floor.

"Goodnight, doll. I'll see you tomorrow."

He offered a small smile. She stared at him. All it would take was one takedown. She could do it in her bathrobe. Alina took a deep breath in and let it out, feeling the tension ease up in her body.

"Goodnight, Steve."

He turned and left the room. Alina turned and flopped unto the bed, screaming into the pillow.

She felt better after that. Steve wanted to wait. She sat up and smiled to herself, a plan forming in her head. She would be sure to give him something damn worth waiting for. He would regret ever saying no to her two nights in a row.

She jumped off the bed and sent him a message via F.R.I.D.A.Y. Then, she sent a few other messages on her phone. She wanted to be prepared tomorrow. He wouldn't know what hit him. She smiled at the barrage of texts coming back her way. Then. she got out of bed in search of her trusty silver bullet and went back under the covers.

***

Alina looked like an angel. Dressed in a white mid-length dress with long sleeves, she floated into the room, and Steve forgot to breathe.

"Good morning, all."

Her eyes fell on him at the back of the room. He stood up a little taller. He was wearing a version of his Captain America uniform today as per Tony's request. The others had teased him about it this morning when he showed up to the Switzerland mission debrief. It was all worth it, however, when he saw how she looked at him.

He recalled the previous night. When he had proposed a date for tonight, he got a distinct feeling that she wanted to hit him. A small part of him would have welcomed it. His resolve had been tested when he saw her in that bathrobe. But he thundered on, and she agreed to a date, albeit a little begrudgingly. The woman was of a singular mind. He smiled.

When he got back to his room, he found a message from her waiting for him. She knew where they could go dancing after dinner. Fuelled by her enthusiasm, he had stayed up and made appropriate arrangements for tonight. He sent her a message this morning about the details for tonight's date, but there had been no response. She was busy, he reasoned. Today was a big day after all.

"Good morning," the chorus of echoes replied. Steve jerked back to reality.

Alina smiled warmly at the room full of board members and potential donors. She looked so powerful in front of the room. Intrusive images of her grinding down on him flooded his mind. He breathed in and hooked both thumbs in his belt buckle.

"My name is Alina Chen. I have been asked by Tony Stark to prepare a presentation for Stark Industries' new charity, The September Foundation. Lights please."

At that, the lights dimmed, and Alina launched into the presentation. Steve watched her intently. She was a confident speaker. He wondered if she would be able to give complex mission briefings. He imagined she would do justice to the skintight black uniforms.

He shook himself out of his thoughts. Alina was talking about the statistics they found.

"As a native to Brooklyn, one of the target neighborhoods for this project, Captain Steven Rogers has a personal stake in the success of this project. He also assisted in collecting and organizing this data together. Thank you, Captain."

She gestured towards him, and all eyes in the room turned to him. He straightened himself up and nodded. She smiled at him, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

The rest of the presentation passed with great success. Alina emphatically stated the case for supporting New York City's children from the inner cities.

"We have a track record of success when it comes to supporting the best and brightest youth from our local communities. The good Captain is just one fine example."

He smiled at her when she said that. That dress was really doing it for him. Oh, the things he would do to her once he got her alone tonight.

She ended the presentation by reminding the potential donors that all donations were tax-exempt. Steve scoffed internally. Rich people.

At the end of the presentation, Alina handled all questions with finesse. Steve was starting to get antsy, standing in one spot. People finally stood up to leave, and he made sure to thank and shake hands with everyone. When the doors closed on the final potential donor, a particularly effusive older woman, he breathed out.

Finally, they were alone. Steve walked up to her.

"Excellent work on the presentation," he commented.

"Thank you, Captain." She didn't look up from her notes.

He leaned in closer. "Will I see you later?"

She nodded, still avoiding his gaze. "I'll return in time for dinner."

"Great. I look forward to seeing you tonight."

She looked at him then, notes gathered in hand and smiled. There was something laced beneath the sweet smile that made his heart skip a beat and heat rush to his groin. He cleared his throat.

"You looked good up there today."

She looked him over in his uniform, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

"I'll see you tonight, Captain."

Steve felt a curious mixture of anxiety, excitement, and foreboding as Alina turned and left the room.

***


	9. Chapter 9

<strike></strike>Alina walked towards him in the lobby. His jaw dropped.

She was wearing a silver, beaded dress that hugged her body and showed a hint of cleavage. Hair up in a chignon, with delicate pieces framing her face, he stared at her deep red lips.

"Hello Steve," she smiled through delicately lined eyes.

He gaped at her. She giggled.

"You look absolutely stunning."

He kissed her on the cheek. Her perfume was warm and spicy tonight. He felt the blood drain from his face and make its way much, much lower.

"Have fun you two."

Steve looked up to find Rhodes grinning at him. He was standing on the balcony next to Sam, Natasha, Wanda, and Vision. The five of them were grinning down. Alina waved.

"See you later," Sam said, giving Steve a sly smile.

Steve looked at him in confusion. What did Sam mean by that? Before he could ask, Alina took his arm. He looked at her and took a deep breath, leading them out towards the limousine waiting out front.

Once they were settled inside, she looked at him and smiled. He noticed how graceful her arms looked in that dress. He couldn't wait to dance with her tonight.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Giovanni's. Natasha's recommendation."

"I love that place. Classy and elegant but not too stuffy."

He smiled, feeling pleased with himself. "I put in a reservation last night," he hesitated. "I might have done it under Captain America."

She looked at him in surprise. "Why?"

"I didn't know there were waitlists for these things. The person on the phone was quite rude before I told them I was _the_ Steve Rogers, Captain America. She insisted I send my photo ID over this morning."

Alina laughed. "I didn't know you had to go through so much today just to get me here. Thank you, Steve." She kissed him on the cheek, and he felt his entire face go warm.

"Anything for you."

She blushed at that. Steve threaded his hand in hers and squeezed it. When they got to the restaurant, he opened the door for her and escorted her inside. It was clear the staff had been expecting them. Half the servers looked starstruck, and the other half seemed so excitable, they might faint. He breathed in deeply. He wanted to do this. He _would_ do this. For her.

"Good evening, Captain. Ma'am," the maitre'd greeted them. "Your table is ready. Right this way."

He led them over to a quiet corner. Steve thanked Natasha silently for that specific suggestion. The other restaurant-goers glanced their way, but they weren't looking at him. They were looking at her. He felt his heart might burst with pride.

The maitre'd pulled out Alina's chair, and she sat down. "Thank you."

"Your server will be right with you."

The maitre'd nodded and left. Steve found himself suddenly feeling nervous.

Alina must have noticed because she reached for his hand across the table and squeezed it, smiling at him. He squeezed her hand back, feeling the tension slowly dissipate.

"Captain, Ma'am," the server greeted them. "My name is Malcolm. I will be your server for this evening."

"Hello," Alina said.

The young man's professional nature put him at ease. "How are you doing, Malcolm. What's on the menu for today?"

After Malcolm regaled them with the menu tonight — some kind of chicken or fish dish — they placed their order for drinks. Alina ordered a bottle of wine to go with her meal. Once that was done, Steve stared at Alina, his anxiety returning. She looked at him.

"So tell me about your day today. What did you do after the presentation? I liked how you looked in your suit by the way."

He glanced her way. Her tone was casual, but there was mischief underneath the last statement. He smiled and shook his head.

"Who designed it?" she asked, taking a sip of water.

"Tony made the current iteration of the suit."

"There were others?"

He nodded. "The first one I wore was actually a stage uniform."

"A stage uniform?" Alina asked in confusion.

He smiled at her. "You should really watch that documentary."

She shook her head. "Why would I when I have the real thing right in front of me?"

He felt his cheeks go red. At this moment, Alina felt more real to him than he did to himself. He looked at her, silver dress sparkling in the light. Was he really out on a date with her? She was truly one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on.

"Steve?"

"Hm? Oh right. Yea, the first one I wore, I wore on stage. It was an actor's uniform."

"I didn't know you had stage experience," she teased.

He snorted. "Hardly. I helped sell war bonds. The man in charge at the time, Senator Brandt, gave me a choice. Sell bonds or become a lab rat. I enlisted to serve my country, so I chose to sell bonds," he paused. "Bonds buy bullets. Bullets kill Nazis."

He heard the bitterness in his voice as he recalled the memory. Alina looked at him and covered his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tease you like that."

He looked at her and smiled, feeling the memories fade away. He squeezed back.

"It's ok. It was a long time ago."

There was a short pause, and he cleared his throat. "The second iteration of the uniform was designed by Howard Stark."

"You knew Tony's father?" Alina looked at him. "Of course, you did."

Steve nodded. He didn't like how Tony always managed to find his way into their conversation, but it was what it was.

"I submitted ideas for the design myself. Howard took it to heart."

Alina nodded, processing the new information. Steve wondered where the conversation could go from here.

"Which one do you like best?" Alina asked.

"Which suit, you mean?"

Alina nodded.

He thought for a moment. "Well, the best thing I ever wore was actually not a suit at all. It was something I threw together for my first mission."

Alina's eyes widened, and Steve felt his heart soar. Her curiosity was one of the best things about her. He actually liked that she knew almost nothing about him.

"After a terrible stage performance in Italy, I found out that Bucky was being held in a prison camp about 30 miles away from where we were."

He recalled both Bucky and Peggy and his heart constricted.

"I wore my stage outfit, threw on a leather combat jacket, pants, boots, and armed myself with my stage shield. I even swiped the "A" from one of the chorus girls for my helmet to let the prisoners know I was on their side."

Alina smiled at him. "I bet you looked very dashing."

He smiled at her and shifted in his seat, uncomfortable at the compliment. "The mission was a big success. I couldn't have done it without Howard or Peggy."

At the mention of Peggy's name, Steve saw something flit across Alina's face. It disappeared just as quickly.

Malcolm returned with the wine. After pouring and serving it, he left. Steve cleared his throat. He had shared enough about himself tonight.

"So tell me more about your music."

"What do you want to know?"

"How long have you been playing?" It was a safe question to start with.

"I've been playing piano since I was 5. My parents said it was good for discipline. I don't think they expected me to take it as seriously as I did."

"Did you need a lot of discipline?"

Alina looked at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. He felt his face go red.

"As a child, I mean."

She smiled at him, and he gulped some water down. Oh boy. That was a close one.

"I was a...spirited child."

He smiled.

"Anyway, when my grandfather learned I was playing the piano, he showed me how to play the _seruling_. We used to play together — him with his _seruling_ and me with my flute."

Steve nodded. He could imagine a young Alina playing the flute. It made his heart expand at the thought.

"I learned the harp later on. Around the same time, I stopped taking kung fu lessons. And then, when I was much older, my grandmother taught me the _guzheng_."

"You're amazing, you know that?"

She blushed at the compliment and avoided his gaze, taking a sip of wine.

"Do you do anything artistic?" she said, changing the subject.

He looked at her. "I draw, actually."

"You draw?"

The incredulous nature of her voice made him smile.

"Yes, I do. I went to art school before the war broke out."

"I didn't know that. I'm learning a lot about you tonight, Steve Rogers."

He smiled when she said his name. Malcolm returned with their food, and they ate, conversation flowing smoothly. At one point, he asked her if she had any favorite painters. She nodded and mentioned Wassily Kandinsky and Georgia O'Keeffe. No surprise there. Kandinsky was heavily influenced by music, and O'Keeffe was an artist ahead of her time.

When the meal ended, the candle on the table was burning low. Malcolm checked in and informed them that the bill had been settled. Steve nodded in satisfaction. He had arranged for that.

"I do have a request before you go," Malcolm stated. They both looked at him. He grinned. "My friends would freak if they knew I served Captain America today. " The young man got his phone out. "Can I get a picture?" he asked Steve.

Alina laughed. "Sure, I can take the picture."

"Oh, no, ma'am. No."

He signaled to one of the other servers who came over. Alina watched as Steve posed for a quick picture. He couldn't get a break, poor guy.

"Thank you so much, Captain. I can't wait to show this to Trish," Malcolm smiled, putting away his phone. "Please enjoy the rest of your night." He smiled and left them.

"I had a great time at dinner, Steve. Thank you," Alina said.

Steve smiled and got up, offering his arm.

"Where to next, my lady?"

***

Alina almost felt bad for what she had planned for him. Almost.

Dinner had been such a pleasant affair. She enjoyed talking to Steve. He was a great listener, but more importantly, she felt happy with him. That was an unfamiliar feeling these past few years. She looked at him, staring out the window. Her lips itched to reach over and kiss his perfectly chiseled jaw. She looked out her own window and sighed. Steve was right — she deserved this date tonight. So why did she still wish she had jumped his bones last night? The private session she had after he left had not been satisfactory. She smiled to herself. Soon enough.

"Where are we going?" Steve asked.

"Harlem."

Steve looked at her with a question in his eyes. She felt herself bristle. Clearly, he thought she only frequented those stuffy, posh uptown clubs. She'd show him.

"It's a really popular nightclub," she said. "Exceptional service, great live music. You said you wanted to go dancing, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, it's a good place to go dancing." She paused. "I invited the others to join us."

"What others? Sam and the rest of them?" The surprise was clear in his voice now.

She nodded. "I thought it might be nice for the team to get out of the compound. You all spend way too much time in that place."

Steve looked at her, apprehension mingling with curiosity on his face.

"It'll be fun," she emphasized. "Dancing is always better with friends." She reached over and kissed him on the cheek.

***

When the limousine stopped outside 199 Malcolm X Boulevard, Steve stepped out before turning around to help Alina out of the car. She shifted to leave the vehicle and her dress splayed in two at the slit, displaying her smooth thigh. He felt heat rush to his face and other parts of his body. Alina casually adjusted her dress before taking his hand. When she smiled her thanks, he could have sworn he saw her eyes gleam.

He fought the sudden instinct to thrust her back into the car. Instead, he stood there, feeling the warmth in his body spike when she placed her hand on his arm.

Alina led them to the front of a very long line. Steve could feel people staring at them.

"Alina Chen," she announced.

One of the bouncers whispered something into his earpiece. The other bouncer nodded at them, communicating his recognition of Steve. Alina smiled at him. Steve returned her smile, trying to ignore the people in line who were now pointing and whispering. The first bouncer looked up and smiled at them.

"Welcome to Harlem's Paradise, Ms. Chen. Sir."

The men opened the big, red double doors and granted them entry. The music and heat hit Steve like a wall. When they stepped inside, his eyes quickly adjusted to the dim, yellow lighting.

The club was filled with people. A big, open bar stood right near the entrance. Steve saw a large bartender talking to a woman in a shiny dress. Just beyond that, the place opened up to a big space filled with moving bodies. The stage was lit in blue, a man crooning into the microphone flanked by two guitarists, vocalists, and a drummer.

Steve breathed in. His senses felt like they were in overload. He hadn't been around this many people in such a small space in a long time.

"Steve? Are you alright?" Alina asked in concern. He looked at her and gathered himself, allowing the music to wash over him.

"Yes, let's go." He started to lead them towards the dance floor.

Alina pointed upwards. Steve looked up to see some fancy-looking people enjoying themselves in the private balcony.

"I reserved a section upstairs."

Steve nodded, and they passed another bouncer at the staircase, who let them through. When they arrived at their reserved section, Steve saw Sam and Natasha grinning up at him.

"Hey strangers," Natasha said. She was dressed in a simple black dress, hair down like always.

"Hey," Steve said, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. This was the first time his friends had seen Alina and him together. Sam smirked his way.

Natasha stood up and exchanged cheek kisses with Alina. Sam did the same before clasping Steve's hands.

"Where's Wanda? And Vision?" Steve asked, attempting to divert attention away from himself.

"They decided to stay at the compound tonight," Natasha said simply.

Steve nodded. He knew something was developing between them.

"Rhodes?"

"He had something to do with Tony," Natasha replied.

"This is a great place, Alina. How did you find it?" Sam said, gesturing at the area.

"I know the owner."

"Cornell Stokes?" Natasha said, her eyebrows raised with interest.

"Mr. Stokes had some business with my father a few years ago. My father sold him some art from our private collection."

Natasha nodded. Alina chose a seat, and Steve sat down next to her. They were all silent for a while as they listened to the music. The smoke in the air, heat in the club, and haunting sounds of smooth jazz made him feel a little woozy. He glanced Alina. She was bopping to the beat with a smile on her face. He wanted so badly to kiss her soft shoulder.

"I'm going to order a drink. Anyone want something?" Alina asked. She motioned for a nearby server to take the drink order.

"I'll go get us drinks," Steve offered. He could use the short walk.

She smiled at him as he took her drink order and made his way back down the staircase, noting the heavy velvet curtains and black and gold wallpaper. The decor was not to his taste, but it was clear that Cornell Stokes took immense pride in this space. As he made his way to the bar, he marveled at how much quieter it had been upstairs. He signaled to the bartender for attention.

"What'll you have, sir?"

"One old-fashioned and one martini. Dirty."

The bartender nodded his head. "Coming right up."

Steve watched as the man fulfilled his order. The bartender didn't seem to recognize Steve or at least, he didn't care. Good. He watched the floor while waiting for his drinks. People were moving alone or together, to the music. When he imagined dancing tonight, he hadn't thought it would be at a place like this. It wasn't so bad, though. Alina was right. The live music was outstanding.

"Here you go, sir. One old-fashioned and one dirty martini." The bartender set the two drinks in front of him.

"Thanks," Steve said, looking at the man's too tight suit. "Work here long?"

The man looked down at his own suit and smiled.

"No, sir. I'm just covering for a friend tonight. I work over at Pop's Barber Shop."

Steve raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Big guy like you. I'd have thought you worked security."

"No, sir."

They exchanged smiles. Something caught the man's attention on the balcony above. Steve turned to follow his gaze but saw Alina and Natasha go down the stairs and towards the dance floor. She caught his eye at the bar and waved to him. He waved back.

Steve left the man a generous tip, took the drinks, and went back upstairs. Sam was standing by the railing, watching the live performance.

"Hey, Cap."

"Hey, Sam."

He put the drinks down on the table and joined his friend. They looked out at the dance floor for a few moments together. Alina was moving her body to the tune. Steve stared at her, body swaying, beaded dress shimmering in the light.

Sam chuckled. Steve looked at his friend and dropped his head, embarrassed.

"It's alright, Cap. I can see how much you like her. It's on your face every time she's in the room."

He furrowed his eyebrows. Was it that obvious? He wanted to say something but settled for looking back at the dance-floor. Sam smirked. He watched as Alina continued to dance, feeling heat rise in his body. He wanted to know what else those hips could do.

A few moments later, a man came up behind Alina and snaked his arm around her waist. Alina turned around, her face contorting in delight. They hugged.

"Who's that?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Steve said, straightening himself up.

"They look pretty close," Sam commented.

Steve watched as the man whispered something in Alina's ear, hand rubbing the small of her back. He felt an ugly feeling rear itself in his chest.

"I better get down there."

"Uh-huh. Go check it out, Cap," Sam said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Steve made his way down and over to her. Alina was laughing with the man now and touching his arm. Who was this guy? Steve came up to her and placed his arm around her waist, settling his hand on her hip. The man's eyes widened.

"Holy shit. It's Captain America."

"Nick, this is Steve. Steve, Nick Young," Alina said, beaming at Nick's face.

"Honor to meet you, sir."

Nick held his hand out, and Steve took it. The man had a firm grip.

"Nick is an old family friend," Alina said. "He teaches Singaporean history at NYU."

Steve looked at him. A professor? Tall and handsome with dark, perfectly coiffed hair, the man looked like he could be a model. Nick was still staring at him, starstruck.

"Enjoying yourself tonight?" Steve heard himself ask.

Nick nodded wordlessly.

"Sorry, I'm still processing that Captain freaking America is standing in front of me."

Steve smiled and moved his hand lower on Alina's hip. He thought he felt her shiver at his touch.

"How did you two meet?" Nick asked.

Steve felt himself bristle at the question. Alina answered.

"We have a mutual friend."

Nick stared at her for a few moments.

"Oh, right. Tony Stark. Iron Man. Wow, Alina. Just wow."

He didn't like the way he said her name.

"Well, we should really get going," he said, turning to Alina. "Your drink is waiting upstairs." Alina looked at him, a twinkle in her eyes.

"It was so nice to see you again, Alina. We should have dinner next time you're in town."

Steve watched as Nick placed a hand on the bare skin of Alina's shoulder and plant a kiss on her cheek.

"It's a date," Alina replied with a small smile. "Tell your mother, I say hello."

Steve felt the swirling feeling in his chest turn into a painful throb. Were they just old friends or something more?

"She's always asking after you. If you don't visit soon, she'll have my head."

They both laughed. It sounded like needles in Steve's ears.

"Sir, it was a pleasure...no, an honor to meet you," Nick said, smiling at him sincerely.

Steve clasped the man's hand in goodbye, squeezing harder than he usually would. Nick winced. When the man finally left, he offered Alina his arm, leading her away and back upstairs. He debated asking her about Nick but decided against it.

Sam and Natasha were sitting and chatting. Before they sat down, a man entered from the section next to them.

"Alina Chen!"

"Cornell!"

She moved towards the man, and he kissed her on the cheek. Now what?

"I see you've brought some excellent company to my establishment tonight," Cornell said, eyes shining. Steve instinctively moved beside Alina.

"Steve Rogers," he said, offering his hand out.

"Cornell Stokes." The man clasped his hands. "I know exactly who you are, Captain. Welcome to Harlem's Paradise."

Cornell smiled at him, and Steve felt warning bells go off in his head.

"Sam Wilson," Sam said, standing up and introducing himself.

Cornell grabbed his arm. "Enjoying yourself, brother?"

"Very much so, sir. Yes," Sam replied. "Fine establishment you got here."

"Yes, I'd like to think it's the jewel of Harlem."

Sam smiled, but when he caught Steve's eye, a look of understanding passed between them. Sam didn't like the man either.

"Natasha Romanoff," Nat said, standing up. She offered her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you," Cornell said, taking her hand and placing a gentle kiss on top. He grinned at Natasha, checking out her dress. Steve really did not like this man.

"I am so happy you chose to come here tonight," Cornell said, shifting attention back to Alina. "I hope you're enjoying yourself, all of you. How is your father, Alina? I have one of his paintings in my main office," he said, gesturing towards a circular window one level up.

Steve looked up and saw a woman looking down at them. He didn't get a good feeling about her either.

"My father is well, Cornell. Thank you for asking. He sent his best wishes when I told him I was coming here today."

"Is that right?" Stokes said. He seemed distracted by something that caught his eye downstairs.

"You seem busy, Cornell. I should let you get back to things," Alina said.

"My apologies, Alina. Busy night," he said, looking back at her. "But please enjoy yourselves. Order whatever you like. It's on the house. Anything for the Avengers. To thank you for your service to this country."

With that, Cornell kissed Alina on the cheek again and left the room. Steve felt like he could breathe easier, the further away the man went.

"Well, it's certainly been an interesting night," Natasha commented. Sam raised his eyebrows. Alina smiled.

The four of them settled into their chairs. Steve listened to the music, trying to forget the interactions with Nick Young and Cornell Stokes. He just wanted to be alone with Alina already.

After a few minutes, a smooth, slow song started playing. Finally. He watched as people made space on the dance-floor. He stood up and offered his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

She smiled, and his heart skipped a beat. She placed her hand in his, and he felt warmth shoot through his spine. He led them downstairs, anticipation hammering in his chest. He saw people smiling at them as they made their way to the dance floor. When they arrived at a chosen spot, she faced him, and he pushed all other thoughts out of his mind. She deserved his undivided attention. He smiled at her open face and placed a hand on her waist. He could feel how soft she was even under the beads of her dress. It made heat rush to his body, thinking about how the rest of her body must feel. She placed a hand on his shoulder. Steve flexed involuntarily, and she smiled at him, a twinkle in her eyes. Their other hands came together naturally, and they swayed to the music. She smiled at him. He pulled her closer in.

Their faces were inches apart. Alina smiled at his lips and he gazed at her own. He could do it. He could kiss her. He really wanted to, but people were watching.

"Thank you for tonight, Steve."

She rested her head on his chest, and he felt like his heart might burst from joy. The song played for a few more minutes, and before they knew it, people were clapping. They broke apart and joined in thanking the musicians.

"Thank you, everyone. I'm Raphael Saadiq. I wish you all a beautiful evening."

The clapping increased as the singer left the stage. The rest of the band remained on stage and started playing upbeat, instrumental jazz.

"Would you like to stay and dance or should we leave?" Steve asked.

"I'm ready to go." Alina smiled and took his arm.

Steve motioned to Sam and Natasha before leaving the club. The ride back in the limousine was quiet. Steve turned to see Alina looking out the window. His eyes darted to the bit of exposed thigh thanks to the slit in her dress. He felt heat expand on his chest. He skimmed up her body and stared at the diamonds highlighting her slender neck. His lips throbbed, wanting to taste her skin.

She turned her head and looked at him. There was a gleam in her eyes and the ghost of a smile on her face. She looked back out the window. It took all of his self-control not to yank her back to face him. He took a deep breath in. She stifled a giggle at the sound. He grinned and placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing it. She stroked his hand with her delicate fingers. He felt excitement shoot through every part of his body. He couldn't wait to get back.

***


	10. Chapter 10

They barely made it towards the living quarters when they found themselves pressed up against one another, frantically kissing.

After a few moments, Alina forced herself off Steve's lips.

"My room."

He nodded, and they stumbled down the hallway, kissing and touching one another on whatever real estate of skin was available. When they got to her door, she broke apart for air.

"Come inside." She saw a gleam in his eye. "I swear, Rogers, if you say anything but yes I will hit you."

He grinned that sexy grin at her, and she grabbed him by the collar, crashing their lips together. They stumbled into her dimly lit room, the electric candles she set up earlier, casting a soft glow over the bed. Steve opened his eyes and removed himself from her lips for a moment, staring at the room in wonder.

Alina didn't give him a chance to contemplate the setting for too long. She backed him to the wall and aggressively pushed her hips unto him. She felt heat pooling in her abdomen as they kissed and moved against each other through their clothes. He was getting excited. After some heated grinding, she pulled away.

"I want to get one thing clear. We're actually doing this right?"

He looked at her and grabbed her body back towards him, planting a fierce kiss on her lips. Then, Steve pulled away and whispered in her ear.

"I want this. I want you."

Alina looked at him. His eyes were dark and heavy, the expression on his face almost pleading. That was enough for her. She kissed him hard and without hesitation, pushing him towards the bed. He faltered when the back of his knees hit the edge. Alina lifted her dress as high as she could, thanking the strategically placed slits, and straddled his lap.

She ravaged his lips while unbuttoning his shirt, feeling his smooth, broad chest in her hands. When he shrugged it off, she froze.

Steve looked impossibly perfect on her bed. She stared at his half-naked body. She wanted, no, needed him all over her in as many ways as humanly possible.

Her reaction to his shirtless body seemed to encourage him. Steve took charge then and lifted her, then threw her on the bed. She laughed in delight as her head hit the pillows. Then, she found herself face-to-face with his perfectly sculptured face and bright blue eyes. He captured her lips in a kiss, deep and slow.

With that kiss, the mood changed. Steve's hands were stroking her hair, his body weight pressing on her. Alina's mind wandered as she explored his muscular back and big shoulders. What would it be like to have him support her entire body weight as he took her? She felt herself get excited. Steve was massaging her chest through her dress now, his other hand squeezing her hip. She needed to feel his hands on her skin.

"Help me with this dress," she whispered.

He moved off her, and she stood up facing the wall. She gestured at the zip on the back and felt his hands behind her. The zip lowered. Alina shivered as the air hit her skin. Her dress fell to the floor. When she turned back around, Steve was staring at her, pupils blown wide.

She smiled. Her white lace bustier and matching high-waist undies seemed to really do it for him. She silently thanked her friend at Barneys, who mailed both the lingerie and dress this afternoon on such short notice.

"Lie back," she instructed softly. Steve obeyed, moving back towards the pillows.

She got on the bed and moved on top of him. Their tongues met in a heated dance. It felt like his hands were all over her body now. She could feel the bulge in his pants, and the pool of heat coiled in her belly. Alina paused to breathe.

"You look great in those pants, Rogers, but I need you to take them off now."

He grinned at her. It was his turn to strip. Alina stared unabashedly at Steve as he made quick work of his belt buckle and pants. God in Heaven, this man was gorgeous. His muscular shoulders curved down unto his broad chest and hard abs. His massive arms bulged in places she didn't know existed and his thighs, oh my God, his thighs. Like two thick tree trunks, they curved into the only section of his body she had yet to see. She could already tell through the material of his boxer-briefs that he was impressive. She bit her lip.

When Alina looked up at his face, she was surprised to find that Steve was looking back at her with a shy, almost anxious look on his face. In all her excitement, she had nearly forgotten. She felt her heart beat faster. She would need to be gentle. A small part of her protested, but she pushed it aside. Her first partner had been gentle with her, and she would always remember the kindness they showed.

"Come here," she said, motioning to the empty space next to her.

He obeyed. Alina kissed his lips softly.

"Nervous?"

"A little bit," he admitted.

She nodded before kissing him again, trying to communicate her reassurance in that move. He seemed to respond to that. She slowly deepened the kiss. After a few moments, he removed his lips off her mouth and down unto her body.

"Steve," she whispered, concerned at the direction this was going. Tonight was supposed to be about him.

He looked up at her. "Let me do this."

She hesitated but seeing the resolve in his eyes, she nodded and lied back. He kissed her, making his way down her body.

"May I?" he asked some moments later, hands on either side of her underwear.

She nodded. Steve pushed her underwear down, and she shivered. He moved his face in between her thighs and then his mouth was on her. She felt herself go weak. The man knew what he was doing. She thanked whoever or whatever was responsible for this as she pushed her head back into the pillows and moaned.

The sounds she made seemed to bolster his confidence. She could feel him doing all sorts of things with his mouth. Then, he touched her with his thumb, and she balked. She sucked in a deep breath and bucked her hips up to encourage him. Steve smiled against her skin and inserted a finger. Alina almost screamed. He moved his finger slowly, and she felt the coil inside her wind tighter.

She threw her head back at the gratifying sensation. Dear God, this man was excellent with his hands. She opened her eyes to look down and saw his furrowed eyebrows, concentrating hard on the task. She moved her hips up. Steve pumped harder. He was an intuitive lover. She liked that. He continued his ministrations, and she felt herself reach the edge.

"Steve," she panted, rolling her hips.

He increased the pace of his mouth, and she groaned. Alina felt heat rise in her chest and up to her cheeks. She was bucking her hips into his mouth now. Steve added another finger and the coil in her abdomen snapped. Alina cried out and rode his face for the next few seconds, allowing her release to wash over her body in waves.

When she came down from her high, she opened her eyes and saw him lying next to her with a look of immense self-satisfaction on his face. She breathed in.

"That was very good," she said, seeing pink rise to his cheeks at her compliment. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

He grinned and shrugged. "Research."

"Research?"

He just nodded. Alina stared at him, curiosity piqued. She wanted to ask more questions as to the nature and purpose of his 'research' but Steve adjusted himself. She glanced down and was reminded that there was still work to be done.

"My turn," she said.

She climbed on top of him and brought herself down into a fierce kiss. The scent of her body on his face drove her wild. She ran her hands down his chest and abs. Alina shifted in her bustier. The thing was becoming restrictive, and she needed to feel his body on hers. She reached around and unhooked it, tossing it aside. Steve's eyes widened at the sight of her breasts, and his hands immediately reached out to grab them. She brought her face down again, enjoying the sensation of his large hands on her naked body. Alina reached downwards.

"Take this off," she whispered, lightly snapping the band on his underwear.

He nodded, and she got off him. Steve stood up and removed his briefs. She pressed her lips together and swallowed. She was right. He was magnificent.

He grinned, pleased with the effect his naked body was having. Alina had to control herself from jumping him. Instead, she motioned him back to the bed and pressed a bruising kiss on his lips. She reached out to grab him, and Steve let out a low growl into her mouth.

She felt heat rise between them as their naked bodies rubbed against one another. Steve was so warm. She felt herself get wet as she stroked his excitement. Steve let out a long, low grunt from deep within his body. Alina moved on top to make full use of both hands to stroke and squeeze him. It was beautiful to watch his face contort in pleasure.

"Tell me when you're ready for me," she purred into his ear.

Steve nodded, eyes still closed. He seemed consumed by the sensation of her hands on him. Alina redoubled her efforts. Steve balked.

"I...I'm ready."

She nodded. With him still in hand, she reached over unto the bedside table for the condom she placed there earlier. Steve was watching her. She stroked him for a few more moments and he moaned. Oh, he was ready, alright. Alina tore the condom open and rolled it on him. Her heart hammered in her chest. He was much bigger than she was used to.

"Did you have a position in mind?" she asked.

"I like where you are now."

"Ok."

She straddled him in between her thighs and rubbed herself against him. He groaned.

"Ready?" she asked, licking her lips. Her mouth was dry from the anticipation.

He nodded. His hands reached out to massage her chest, tweaking the hard, sensitive nipples. She bit back a moan and forced herself to focus on the mission at hand. She lifted herself above him and positioned him at her entrance.

Alina took a deep breath in and guided him inside her. Steve screwed his eyes shut. She had to go really slow. Inch by delicious inch, she felt herself stretch to accommodate him.

His eyebrows furrowed, creating lines of concentration on his forehead. He looked like he was about to break.

"Breathe," she reminded him gently.

He obeyed her, and as he did, he involuntarily bucked his hips up, pushing the last few inches of himself up into her. She gasped at the sudden entry. His eyes shot open.

"Did I hurt you?"

She winced and adjusted herself, feeling the pain ease.

"I'm alright. It was unexpected, that's all."

He nodded, still looking concerned. Alina stroked his face to reassure him.

She adjusted herself on top of him with excruciating deliberateness. She felt like she might split apart if she went any faster. He breathed, and the tension left his body. Suddenly, it felt like there was more room to move. Alina rolled her hips slowly, and he gasped. He looked so good between her thighs, she almost came from the sight alone.

She rolled her hips again, and this time, he did the same thing in time to hers. She cried out at the sensation. He was a quick study. Excellent.

They started agonizingly slow but quickly gained speed. She moved forward, kissing him on the mouth. He seemed too distracted, so she moved back up and placed her hands on either side of his waist, kneading his impossibly perfect Adonis belt.

They were rolling their hips in tandem now. Steve was making low sounds in the back of his throat. Alina decided to add something extra to the mix.

She clenched her walls around him and let go. He cried out and reached out to grip her hips. She did it again, and his eyes shot open, heavy with lust. He looked at her and groaned. She smiled. For a while, there was nothing but the sounds of their moanings mingled with the sounds of slapping skin. She looked down at him. His eyes were half-open, glazed over and lids heavy. She pressed into him, urging him on faster.

He balked, thrusting his own hips up. Alina let out a small cry. Steve opened his eyes, wide with concern, and looked at her silently asking for permission. When she nodded, he pushed up into her again. She let out a louder cry. His lips quirked up. They did that again and again, him pushing into her and her, crying out louder each time until she felt her walls clench and flutter around him. She rode out her orgasm on him, letting out a long, low cry of relief.

When she came down from her second high of the night, she looked down at him. How was he still going? Steve grinned at her. Alina clenched her jaw, determined to pay him back for his generosity. She breathed in, gathering her strength, and continued the punishing pace. The smile on his face disappeared. Steve threw his head back and groaned. She felt her wetness drip down on him. When she gathered enough strength, she clenched her walls around him once again. It was his turn to cry out.

They were slowly but surely reaching a frenetic pace. Steve was close, she could tell. She marveled at his endurance.

She clenched her walls around him again, feeling another orgasm build in her. He let out a low growl, and she felt him get even harder inside her. She cried out in pleasure and ground down on him.

Steve grunted, driving himself into her. She rolled her hips, and Steve's face turned pink. Alina rolled her hips again, and he pushed himself into her. She clenched, and he let out a throaty groan. She combined the rolling and clenching, and his eyes shot open. She smiled and did it again. Once, twice, and at the third time, Steve let out a sharp cry.

"Ugh!"

He released himself, eyes screwed shut in ecstasy. She joined him with a loud moan as his orgasm triggered her own. He gripped her hips tight and finished the final throes of his release. The shooting pain from her hip mingled with the incredible pleasure she felt coursing through her body. She yelped and continued rolling on him, watching his entire face shift from pink to red.

Steve finally let out a breath and opened his eyes. Alina stopped moving on top of him. He looked at her and took in a deep breath. She smiled and slowly climbed off. He cried out a little at the loss of contact.

She lay down beside him as he gingerly removed the condom and placed it on a piece of tissue on the bedside table. Then, he lay back down on the bed, one hand on his heaving chest. She cuddled close to him, and he wrapped her under the other arm. She traced circles on his bare chest. There was a slight sheen of sweat on it.

"That was..." he trailed off.

"Good?"

"Beyond excellent. I never imagined my first time would be so special. Thank you, Alina."

She felt her heart burst at his words.

"You're welcome, Steve."

They shared a long, slow kiss. When they broke for air, he put his head back into a pillow and heaved. Longer pieces of hair fell across his forehead. She raked them back with her fingers. She looked at the side profile of his face -- eyes closed, lips curved in a smile. He was so beautiful.

After a few minutes of blissful silence, Steve caressed her arm. Alina felt goosebumps on her skin. He turned to face her, and their lips found one another in a soft, slow kiss. She pressed her body against his and found herself involuntarily rubbing against his thigh. Steve opened his eyes.

"Ready for another go?"

She cocked her head in surprise. He grinned.

"They tell me I'm a super-soldier. Comes with the territory."

She looked at him, a slow smile spreading on her face.

"We're about to have some fun tonight, Steve Rogers."

***

Steve had never known such pleasure before. Is this what it felt like to be in heaven?

He looked at Alina under him, her hair wild, brown eyes almost black. When he pushed into her, she arched her back up towards him. It was a pleasure to watch her react to him like that. He sheathed himself almost completely and drove into her again. She cried out. He loved the sounds she made. He did it again and was rewarded with a scream.

"Steve," she begged.

He grinned, granting her some mercy by burying himself inside her. She relaxed around him, and he moved into her. He felt himself get even more turned on, and he increased the pace. She writhed under him. He took a breast in his hand and massaged it. She moaned. He continued driving himself into her, rubbing her nipple and sucking and kissing her neck. She bucked her hips up towards him then, he felt her clench her walls around him, trapping him inside. She cried out, wetness gathering at her eyes. He came hard as her walls vibrated around him, coaxing all he had out of him. After a few moments, her back was flush against the mattress again, and he felt her relax. He removed himself slowly and discarded the condom. He watched as she fluttered her eyes open.

"That was...something else," she breathed out and smiled.

He grinned at her. Alina heaved and closed her eyes. She looked like she was ready to rest for the night.

Steve couldn't blame her. He had lost count of how many times they had made love. After that first time with her on top, she showed him some things they could do together with her little silver bullet. He became quite excited at the places she taught him to stimulate on his own body. Alina enthusiastically went down on him after that. The sounds and sensations she made with her mouth would give him beautiful dreams for weeks to come.

He watched as she fell asleep, her chest breathing heavy. He pulled the blanket over her naked form. He stepped to the bathroom to clean himself up before returning to bed to join her. He crawled under the covers and placed his body flush against her back. He breathed in. This felt too good to be true.

He slipped a hand under her head and wrapped one over her arm. She adjusted sleepily into him. He closed his eyes and buried his face into her hair. She smelled delicious all night like warm vanilla mixed with exotic spices. He kissed her head, eyes open in contemplation.

He had not expected this week to go this way. On Saturday morning, when he had seen her in the conference room with Tony, he could only have imagined touching her in the ways she allowed him to do tonight. Tomorrow, they would only have a day together before she would leave the next morning. A pit formed in his stomach at the thought.

She moved in her sleep, and he kissed her hair. Tonight of all nights, he wished his insomnia might save him from the inevitable passing of time. But he wanted to spend time with her tomorrow. He moved his body, getting comfortable. Alina felt so soft against him. He breathed in and out, feeling bliss wash over his naked body. He shivered a little and held her closer. He could feel her steady heartbeat. Steve closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, hearing the sounds of soft piano music in his head.

***


	11. Chapter 11

Alina woke up with a big grin on her face. She turned on her side and saw Steve asleep next to her. The man wasn't lying when he said he had endurance. She had woken up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and when she returned to bed, he was wide awake with that irresistibly delicious smirk on his face. They ended up making furious love. An insane amount of stamina combined with, oh, about 100 years of pent up sexual release, made for mind-blowing sex. She recalled the stars she saw behind her eyes, only a few hours ago, and grinned.

She'd be lying if she didn't say that certain parts of her felt sore. She winced a little at the pleasant ache when she got up to use the bathroom. Alina looked down at herself and saw bruises on her hips. Sh touched them gingerly and grinned, recalling the thrilling sensation she felt as he held onto her for dear life and released himself inside her. Endurance was not the only special skill Steve brought to bed. Though she would cherish the marks he left on her, she got the sense that he was still holding back. She was curious to see just how strong he really was. At one point during their love-making, Steve had lifted her with one arm and thrown her back on the bed before getting on top. She didn't last long when she saw the hungry look in his eyes.

Steve was still asleep when she crawled back into bed. She liked the pleasant heat he emitted. She reached out and stroked his hair.

"Don't you know not to disturb a sleeping soldier," he murmured.

She smiled and kissed him on the lips.

"Good morning, Captain," she whispered.

He opened his eyes. They were soft, clear blue now unlike the deep blue orbs Alina had seen in the wee hours of the morning. He smiled, and she felt her heart flutter. Steve turned on his back and motioned for her to join him. She rested her head on his chest as he stroked her shoulder. She moved her hands to his abs and felt him shiver.

They were silent for a long time. Alina tried to bury the thought that she would be leaving tomorrow morning and no longer be in his arms like she was in this wonderful moment. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he thinking about tomorrow too? Or did he not care? He wasn't that kind of man, was he? A small voice in her head told her she didn't know him that well. After all, they had only met a few days ago. That one thought opened the floodgates of uncertainty in her mind. Alina took a deep breath in and let it out. She was determined to enjoy herself today, tomorrow be damned. She broke the silence.

"I wanted to visit the Museum of Modern Art today. They have an exhibition with the works of Yayoi Kusama on at the moment. Would you like to join me?"

"Who is that?"

"She's a Japanese contemporary artist, one of the most important living artists today."

Steve looked at her and reached for his pants. She admired his perfectly round ass. He pulled a small, maroon notebook out.

"What's that?" she asked.

"The list."

He scratched something in there with a black pen, also from his pocket.

"Can I see it?"

Steve handed her the notebook. Alina gave it the once over, noting with pride that he had added a star next to Karate Kid and Singaporean food.

"You have absolutely no women on this list."

Steve looked at it again.

"Hm. I guess you're right."

"Add these people. Oprah Winfrey. Born in poverty in the South, started as a co-anchor for the local evening news and eventually, worked her way towards becoming the host of the highest-rated television show and the world's richest African-American in the 20th century."

Steve's jotted down her name.

"Gloria Steinem - author and activist. Rosa Parks - civil rights champion. Madonna - phenomenal singer and entertainer. Aretha Franklin - she might have been born during your time, I can't recall. Another landmark singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. And Coco Chanel - the first woman to found a fashion house and the first corporation."

Alina was sure many other women were deserving to be on Steve's list, but those were the ones she could remember off the top of her head. Steve wrote it all down meticulously.

"Thank you," he said after a few moments. "And yes, I'd love to see those drawings with you."

She kissed him on the cheek and sank back into the mattress. After a few moments, Steve spoke.

"What time does the museum open?"

"I'm not sure. F.R.I.D.A.Y., what time does the Museum of Modern Art open?"

"M.O.M.A. opens from 10.30a.m. to 5.30p.m. daily."

"Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y."

Steve was quiet. "Let's go when it opens," he said.

"Alright. We'll beat the rush that way."

Steve nodded. He was silent again. She looked at him, now familiar with the sign that he was entertaining something serious.

"What are you thinking about?"

Steve was silent for a good, long while. "I'd like to draw you," he said suddenly.

Alina sat up and looked at him. "Right now?"

Steve looked at her and nodded. "I can use my pen and notebook," he said. "Would you be willing to pose for me?" he asked without meeting her eyes, suddenly shy.

Alina felt her heart flutter. How he went from sexy, confident Captain to shy, nervous Steve, she would never know, but it warmed her insides every time she witnessed it happen. Steve lifted his face to look at her, and she smiled at him.

"Sure. I did some life modeling when I was still studying dance at Julliard. It was a way to practice and refine my body awareness."

Steve smiled and uncapped his pen.

"Wait a second, I think I have a pencil somewhere," Alina said, standing up. She searched in her suitcase and produced a pencil. "Will this work?"

Steve scratched it on his paper and nodded. He looked at her.

"Come here."

She obeyed and came close to him. His face was inches away from her bare stomach. She felt a familiar heat start to gather in her body.

"Did I hurt you last night?" he said, looking at the bruises on her hips.

She shrugged. "It was worth it."

He studied her face and placed a gentle kiss on her bruises. She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes.

"You need to put some clothes on if I'm going to draw you. It's too distracting when you're naked," Steve whispered.

She grinned down at him. "This is definitely unlike those life modeling classes I posed for."

She saw pink creep into his cheeks. How was he still so shy about looking at her naked body when he had taken her so unforgivingly only a few hours ago? She shook her head and smiled, going to the bathroom to get a robe on. When she came back out, he had put on his underwear. She sighed a little.

"Alright, I want you to sit down right there."

He pointed to the bench at the edge of the bed. Alina settled in, ready for his instruction. "Ok. Face me this way. Right. Head down. Give me some eye...yes. Perfect. Beautiful, Alina." She felt her heart soar at his words. "Hold it right there."

Alina focused on breathing, just as she taught in dance and yoga. She felt her face relax, hearing the sounds of Steve's pencil scratching on the pad. After fifteen minutes of silent sketching, Steve spoke.

"How do you know Nick Young?"

Alina looked at him in surprise. She had completely forgotten what they did last night before they got inside her room.

"Relax your eyebrows," Steve chided. She breathed in and rearranged her face back to its original position.

"Nick is an old family friend."

"That's all?"

She smiled, and he looked at her with disapproval. She rearranged her face again.

"Why do you ask? Feeling jealous?"

"No," he said immediately, turning his attention to the page. "I was just curious."

"Pity," she lamented after a moment. "I called Nick and asked him to meet me at Harlem's Paradise last night for that express purpose."

Steve stopped drawing and looked up at her. Alina grinned. He stared at her for an incredulous moment, then laughed and shook his head. She continued smiling at him.

"That's why you wanted to suggest a place to dance."

"Uh-huh."

"So you could orchestrate all that."

"Yup."

He paused for a moment. "You must have wanted me really badly to go through all that just to get me into bed."

She grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him, which he blocked with an easy smile. She grabbed another pillow and threw it at him, which landed straight on the page.

"Hey! Careful," Steve said.

"I'm sorry! Did I ruin the drawing?"

"See for yourself." Steve turned the notebook around.

His sketch focused on a side profile of her face, eyes towards him, lips slightly apart. She looked very alluring. The thought that he saw her that way made her stomach do a flip.

"You should draw more often," she heard herself saying. "You have an eye for capturing the essence of a model."

He blushed at her compliment.

"It's easy with you," he said, looking away. "Your essence is just below the surface."

Alina smiled and crawled towards him on the bed. She took his face in her hands, directing him to look at her. Did he know how insanely adorable he was?

"Here," he said, after a few moments, tearing the page and handing her the drawing. She shook her head and pressed it back to him.

"It's your drawing. You should keep it." A voice in her head added the words "To remember me by." Her heart sank a little.

He hesitated for a moment then put it back into the notebook.

"Thank you," he said. He closed his notebook and put it back on the bedside table. His eyes darted to the clock. When he turned back to her, he was smiling mischievously.

"It's only 8am. We have two and a half hours before the museum opens. What do you think we should do?" he asked with a glimmer in his eyes.

"I have a few ideas," Alina said.

She squealed when he tackled her to the bed.

***

Steve was staring at a massive painting with bright colors and polka dots. He felt an eerie sense of unease and familiarity, staring at the piece of art.

"Feeling alright there, Steve?"

He looked at her and cleared his throat. "Hm. Yes."

"What do you think of the paintings?"

"They are...uh. Interesting."

Alina laughed a little.

"Kusama's paintings are meant to transport the viewer into her inner world. Her thoughts, her obsessions. She wanted to control how viewers perceived time and space. And how they felt towards her." She added after a moment. "She had a troubled life. Her art helped her feel in control and make sense of things."

"I can understand that," Steve said. "I draw when I need to make sense of things."

"Music helps me with that too."

They looked at one another and shared a smile. Steve reached for her hand and squeezed it. They walked through the rest of the museum, hand-in-hand, chatting about the various exhibits.

The last painting they looked at was a piece from Kusama's friend, Georgia O'Keeffe. Steve blushed at the colorful painting of an enlarged flower. Alina looked at him and laughed.

"You know, O'Keeffe always denied that her paintings were sexually suggestive," she commented. "Though it's pretty obvious what her paintings look like if you ask me."

Alina grinned. Steve felt himself blush deeper. Alina paused before adding thoughtfully.

"It probably made her feel like people didn't take her seriously as an artist. Must have been difficult to be painting, especially in the body she inhabited, at a time when only men were taken seriously as artists."

Steve noted the tone in her voice and her curious choice of words. _The body she inhabited._

"Do you think it's still difficult?" he asked after a few moments. "Being a woman artist?"

He saw her jaw clench for a moment. Alina looked at him as if debating how to answer. Then, she sighed.

"It depends on what kind of woman you are. If you're rich, white, or both, it's much easier to get by. I know that. I'm one of those two things," she said after a few moments. "People take one look at me, and they think they know me. I'm Asian, I'm rich, and my primary instrument is the flute. They think they can put me in box. They want me to be submissive or entitled or eccentric or all three at the same time. They want me to act a certain way so they can confirm their thoughts of me."

He was quiet. Alina continued.

"The ones who take my music seriously, the ones who support me...they see me for who I am. They see my spirit."

Steve nodded. He understood what Alina was saying. Something similar happened to him a long time ago. He stared at the painting, feeling suddenly nostalgic. The night before his transformation, he asked Erskine why he had been chosen for Project Rebirth. The scientist told him that it was because of what he saw inside him. He unconsciously rubbed his chest, recalling Erskine's last actions before dying.

Steve grabbed Alina's hand, feeling a surge of affection overcome him. She looked at him.

"Alina, I..."

He caught himself right before he said something he might never be able to take back. She looked at him, a questioning look in her eye.

"I...I had a really good time here today."

His heart fell. He thought he saw her face fall too.

"Me too, Steve."

He sighed, looking at her. "It felt really good to be reminded that I'm an artist. Thank you, Alina."

With that, he kissed her full on the lips, trying to communicate with his body what he hadn't managed to say with his words. She kissed him back. When they broke apart for air, they smiled at one another.

Someone coughed beside them. They turned to see a woman smiling with her two kids.

"Excuse me, I'm so sorry. But can my kids get a picture with you?" She shoved her kids toward him.

"Here, let me take the picture," Alina offered. "You should join your children."

The woman smiled widely at her and rushed to join him. Steve posed for the camera, maintaining his gaze on the photographer. She was beautiful in every sense of the word.

***

They spent the rest of the afternoon together. Steve wanted to eat at Salma's again. This time, the little restaurant was more crowded, so he spent a good portion of their time, taking pictures and signing autographs. Alina giggled when she saw him. He was clearly uncomfortable in the limelight, unlike some other Avengers she knew.

She sighed. Her dinner with Tony tonight was only a few hours away. Her stomach dropped at the thought. She looked over at Steve. They only had a few precious hours left together.

When he finally made his way back to their table, he looked a little worse for the wear.

"You alright?" she asked, touching his arm. He looked at her, raised his eyebrows, and sighed.

"I'll never get used to that."

Alina smiled. Their food arrived quickly, thanks to Gia, and they ate in relative silence. Alina could see the people on the table next to them, dart glances at both her and Steve. She was pretty sure one of them sneaked a picture of them.

Just then, she heard her phone beep. It was a message from Tony.

"Hey Steve, Tony wants you to join us for dinner tonight. Pepper and Happy will be there too. It's at seven p.m. at Daniel."

He looked at her and smiled. "It would be my honor to accompany you to dinner."

Alina laughed. "You're always so dramatic."

A look passed on Steve's face and disappeared just as quickly. She reached out and squeezed his hand, a move he reciprocated. They left the restaurant shortly after, thanking Gia and Salma, who assaulted Steve with another kiss. When they made their way back, they parted ways.

"I'll see you in a few hours, Captain."

Alina kissed him on the cheek and left to get ready for dinner tonight.

***


	12. Chapter 12

Steve looked up and saw Alina. His heart stopped. She was dressed in a grey, one-shoulder Grecian style long gown. Her hair was styled in a messy chignon, and she wore dark eye makeup which accentuated the pearl studs in her ears. She looked like a queen.

Alina came up to him and smiled.

"Wow," he breathed in. "You look...incredible." He noticed that the fabric shimmered in the light.

"You look pretty good yourself. New suit?" she asked.

"Not really, no. It's been sitting in my closet for a while now. But now I know why I bought this. It was so I could have the privilege of escorting you to dinner tonight."

She looked at him and laughed. He planted a light kiss on her cheek. He offered her his arm, and she took it.

"Say hi to Tony for us."

They both looked up, now familiar with the drill. Sam, Natasha, Wanda, Vision, and Rhodes were grinning down at them from the balcony above. Alina waved. Steve nodded at Sam, who gave him the thumbs-up sign.

He led Alina out towards the limousine, feeling like the luckiest man alive.

***

Alina stepped into the restaurant with Steve in arm.

Tony gestured from the large round table in the center. They made their way over.

"Sweetheart! You look absolutely gorgeous."

Tony stood up and kissed her on the cheek before clasping his hands in Steve's. A blonde woman wearing a long black dress stood beside Tony.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Alina," Pepper said with a kind smile. "You look beautiful." They moved to kiss one another on the cheek.

"Alina, you look lovely," Happy said. Alina greeted him with another kiss.

Steve pulled a chair out for her. She smiled him a thank you and sat down. He took the seat next to her.

"I took the liberty of ordering us a bottle of champagne. We are celebrating, after all." Tony informed the table after they settled down.

"Thank you, Tony," Alina smiled.

Shortly after, five flutes of champagne arrived. Tony raised his glass.

"A toast. To The September Foundation."

They clinked flutes and drank. The champagne gave her a pleasant buzz.

"Well then," Tony clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "I should really thank you, Alina. I've been on the phone all day with the donors, and they all loved you. They were practically singing praises."

"I'm glad they enjoyed the presentation. The Captain and I worked really hard on it."

"Yes, yes. The presentation was excellent. But the more important thing was that the donors were completely smitten," he paused, "with the two of you."

Tony pointed at Steve and her. Alina felt Steve freeze beside her. She schooled her expression into a neutral one and smiled.

"I'm happy the Captain, and I made a good impression."

Tony barked out a short laugh, downing his entire flute of champagne. Alina narrowed her eyes at him. What was he up to?

Pepper gave Tony a look and cleared her throat.

"So, Alina. Tell me about the work you do with the Chen Foundation. Tony tells me you're really good at what you do. How do we poach you?"

Conversation flowed pleasantly after that. Alina talked to Pepper about her work with the Chen Foundation. The woman listened intently to what she said. Alina could tell why Tony liked her. She was intelligent but had no ego. All kindness and curiosity with an edge of ruthless efficiency.

The server came to the table, explaining the seven-course meal tonight. Hors d' oeurves arrived shortly after, followed rapidly by the next three courses.

Tony seemed to return to his usual self once the food arrived. He was talking about the latest technology Stark Industries was currently developing — some kind of holographic illusion system that was able to connect with the emotional center of a person's brain. He seemed positive about its uses in the mental health field, although Alina wondered how he planned to make it accessible to the masses. The cost of financing the research and development alone was obscene. The young man she knew at MIT would have questioned the elitism of a project like this.

Steve was talking to Happy about the latest security upgrades to the compound and the various modes of transportation the Avengers used. She smiled at him. He must have noticed her because he returned the smile. She wished she could reach over and touch him.

Much to everyone's delight, the main course was a medium-rare steak served with exotic vegetables. After the main course, the chef came out to greet the table, and they all took turns congratulating him on a job well done. Right before dessert, Tony reached for his glass of wine.

"So Alina. I know we've been dancing around the subject all night. But I have board members breathing down my neck, and I'd really like to know whether you will come work for me. What do you say? The donors love you. The board members love you. I love you." He paused, looking at her for effect. She laughed. "Everyone loves you."

For a moment, she saw the charming young man she had fallen for all those years ago. She took a deep breath in

"To be honest, I'm still not sure Tony."

"Aw, come on," Pepper said. "Tell us what you need, and we'll try to see if there is something we can do. What do you want as part of your contract?"

"Yeah, Alina. What _do_ you want?" Tony said. His eyes were twinkling.

Alina suddenly felt very aware of Steve next to her. She shifted in her seat and didn't answer.

"Come on. There must be something you want. Or need," Tony repeated, taking a sip of his wine without breaking eye contact.

Alina felt the pit in her stomach return, but she maintained his gaze.

"The Chen Foundation is my family. I can't possibly leave them."

"We're a family. You should come join us."

Tony looked at her in the eyes. Alina felt Steve reach for his glass of water. She hesitated. If she came to work for Tony, she might be able to see Steve more often. She allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to have him in her life. Images of quiet nights in, mornings cooking together and bedtime conversations flashed across her mind.

"Can you give me a few days to think about it?"

"You twisted my arm." Tony faked a pout. "Alright. But I expect an answer on Monday."

She nodded and smiled at him. He downed his glass of wine.

"Who's up for dessert?" Happy said as the servers placed a slice of cake with poached pears in front of each of them.

Tony was still looking at her. She ignored him and prepared to take a bite out of the cake.

"So what's the deal with you two?"

Everyone at the table stopped. Alina felt Steve stiffen next to her. She watched Tony coolly, anger rising from the pit in the stomach to her chest. That's what he was up to. The man was a child. Some things never changed.

"Are you two...?"

"Tony!" Pepper said, touching his arm. She looked at them. "I'm sorry." She looked back at her partner. "Tony, this is not civil dinner conversation. Apologize."

"I'm not going to apologize. All I did was ask a question. I have a right to know if the potential head of my foundation is sleeping with the good Captain here. Besides, don't we all want to know?"

Tony looked at Pepper who was staring at him in disbelief.

"Happy?"

The man choked on his piece of cake. Tony reached for his empty glass of wine. Alina could feel rage broiling in his stomach. Steve was frozen next to her.

Tony continued. "We could attract some major donors off of this. Who wouldn't want to get in between that sandwich?"

Alina gripped her wine glass. Tony looked at her, a horrid smile playing on his lips.

"How's the sex? Was it as good as ours?"

Happy spat out his cake. Pepper's eyes bugged out of her head.

Steve rose at those words, ready for a fight. Tony stood to meet his challenge, which meant that Happy automatically took up space between them.

Pepper glanced at Alina, shock and horror on her face.

"You will apologize to the lady now," Steve said in a low growl.

Tony looked him square in the eye. "Make me."

Alina had had enough. She stood up from the table.

"Excuse me."

She heard Pepper make a small sound in her throat as she left.

***

Steve felt his blood throb in his temples. One punch would be all it took. One punch to that stupid, smug face and he would stay down. He balled up his fists.

"So are you?" Tony asked. "Sleeping with her, I mean?"

Pepper made a strangled sound in the back of her throat. Steve stared at him.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that, Stark."

He left the table, hands balled up in fists before he lost all self-control.

"You still haven't answered my question!" he heard Tony call out as he left the restaurant.

***

"Alina! Wait!"

She ignored the voice. What did it take to get a damn taxi cab in this city?

"Alina!"

Steve came up behind her and grabbed her arm.

"Let go," she said in a firm, low voice.

"Sorry. I just..."

"You just what, Steve?"

She took a deep breath in, barely able to contain her shame, embarrassment, and anger.

"I..."

"I knew this would happen," Alina said. "Back at the compound, the others...they knew. I was alright with that. But Tony..."

"He was way out of line tonight," Steve said, anger on his face.

She softened at that. She didn't need a man to defend her honor, but it made her feel warm inside to know that Steve would have done so. This is why it made what she had to do so much more difficult.

"I can't do this, Steve."

"Can't do what?" She could hear the fear in his voice.

"This. Whatever this is between us. I can't do it."

"Alina, I..."

She stopped him with a soft kiss on the lips. When she pulled apart, she felt tears fall on her face.

"This week has been nothing short of magical," she started.

He was looking at her, a swirl of emotions on his face.

"But we both know this is never going to work out. I have a life halfway across the world and you, you're Steve Rogers. You're Captain America."

He opened his mouth to say something then, but she stopped him, placing a hand on his face. She stroked his jaw, feeling his stubble grate across her fingers.

"It's OK, Steve. I never expected anything more from you. You'll always have Peggy to love and me? I'm just someone who walked into your life a week ago."

A cab drove up to the curb.

"I'll always cherish the time we had together. Thank you for everything, Captain."

Before he could register what was happening, she opened the cab doors and entered the vehicle. Steve thought he could see the glimmer of Alina's pearl earring as the car drove away.

***


	13. Chapter 13

"Someone needs to talk to him."

Sam, Natasha, Vision, Wanda, and Rhodes were standing outside the gym. Steve had a look of furious concentration on his face. He was punching the bag as if his life depended on it.

"Poor Steve," Wanda lamented.

"Is he still upset by Ms. Chen's sudden departure on Friday?" Vision asked.

Just then, there was a sound of metal breaking. They turned to watch the punching bag fly off the hook and land with a thud across the room. Steve stared at the heap of sand before turning around to lift another bag. He attached it to the hook and got to punching again.

"I'll go talk to him," Sam said.

"Good luck," Rhodes called out.

Sam walked into the gym. "That sandbag must have really deserved it, huh," he commented, trying to find a way to disperse the tension.

Steve ignored him and continued punching.

"Look, man, you gotta talk to me. I'm worried about you."

At those words, he looked at Sam.

"I'm fine."

He went back to punching.

"You are not fine. I wouldn't be fine if the lady I loved left me."

Steve stopped punching. "I don't..."

He sighed, placing his hands down.

"You don't what?"

Steve sighed again.

"I don't know how I feel about her."

"Everyone can see you care about the girl."

Steve was silent. "Tony embarrassed her," he said after a moment, changing the subject.

"Embarrassed, how?"

Steve went back to punching the bag. Sam waited. He had learned to be patient when talking to Steve. There was more punching, and it was more heated this time. The bag started to leak sand.

"He asked her if we were sleeping together. At dinner on Friday in front of everyone."

Sam choked. Steve went back to the punching bag. There was nothing but his angry grunts for a few long moments.

"Look, man. Tony...is Tony. You knew Alina was his ex." Steve stared at Sam. Sam held up his hands. "I'm not saying what he did was okay. It wasn't. But you shouldn't expect the man to not put up a fight."

He looked at Sam, eyes flashing with anger. "Stark asked if our..." he gestured with his hands back and forth. "He asked if it was as good as theirs. Does that sound like a fair fight to you?"

Sam widened his eyes. "He said that in front of Pepper?"

"And Happy."

Steve took a mighty swing at the bag, and it rocked violently.

"That's messed up," Sam said. There was a long pause. "What did Alina do?"

"What was she supposed to do, Sam? She left. She had to preserve some modicum of pride after what Tony did."

Steve went back to the punching bag. The metal hook it was attached to started to whine. Sam let out a sigh. He knew Steve had returned from dinner the night before last, alone. The man had gone straight to his room and not come out until this morning in the gym. Alina, apparently, had left straight from the restaurant on Friday to J.F.K. airport. Her room was still full of her belongings when the staff had to clean it out last night.

Sam didn't know what to say, so he went around the back and touched Steve gently on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Steve."

His friend didn't respond, but he stopped punching.

"For what it's worth, she deserves to know how you really feel about her. I'd find a way to tell her.

With that, Sam left the room.

***

Steve finished up at the gym and was making his way back to his room. When he entered his room, he threw his gym bag in the corner.

"Sir, Mr. Stark has a new message for you," F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed him.

"Tell him he can go to hell."

"Very well, sir."

Steve stepped into the shower. His muscles were aching. He had woken up early, forsaken his usual Sunday morning jog with Sam and ran nearly 20 miles alone in the area surrounding the compound. When that didn't clear his head, he tried punching his anger away, imagining Tony's face in place of the sandbag.

He felt the hot water fall on his face and trickle down his body, soothing his sore muscles. He stood in the shower for a bit, breathing in deeply.

Alina had just left. No goodbye. No best wishes. She just left him standing on the sidewalk like some jilted lover.

"You are a jilted lover," a small voice in his head said. He turned around in the shower.

Was Sam right? Did she deserve to know how he truly felt about her?

The stubborn voice in his head said no. _She_ had left _him_. What could he do about that? She made it clear that whatever it was between them was over. It had been nothing but a fling to her. He was nothing but another story she could tell the next person she met in her glamorous, jet-setting life.

He turned around in the shower, thinking about her soft smile, that mischievous twinkle in her eye. A quiet voice in his head asked him if he loved her.

Love. What was that? He felt something settle at the bottom of his stomach. Stark had thrown the word around so casually at dinner.

_I love you. _That's what Tony had said to Alina in the same breath as he offered her a position to head the September Foundation.

But he wasn't Tony Stark. He was Steve Rogers. And Steve Rogers didn't know how he felt about Alina? Did he?

He rubbed his face with his hands, hoping it would cleanse him of his swirling thoughts. No such luck. Images of Alina flashed in his head. Her open face as she listened to him talk about the war during the tour the first day they met. The kiss they almost shared by the piano in the conservatory. The lunch date in Chinatown. Time spent by the water at Coney Island. Her hands around his waist on his motorcycle. Her, naked in bed, smiling up at him.

He stood there for a few moments then, turned off the shower, and jumped out. He dried himself off with a towel and made his way into the room.

"Sir, there is a new message for you from Mr. Stark," F.R.I.D.A.Y. said.

Steve ignored the A.I. It seemed to understand as it didn't reply.

He put on his clothes and flopped on the bed. The bed was too soft. And empty. He turned around. Alina had said something to him before she left.

_You'll always have Peggy to love._

He opened his eyes and got up off the bed. His old compass was on his dressing table. He flicked the thing open and saw the newspaper cutout of Peggy, looking back at him. His chest constricted at the sight of her. He closed it back again and walked over to the closet, throwing on a bomber over his t-shirt and left the room.

***

"She's currently asleep, sir but you can sit in the waiting room," the nurse informed him. "There's someone else in there at the moment."

Steve nodded and sat down, placing the bouquet of flowers on the seat next to him. When Pepper walked out a few minutes later, Steve stood up. She saw him and made her way over.

"Steve," she said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see Peggy. What are you doing here?"

"I was here on Tony's behalf," Pepper said, avoiding eye contact with him. Steve stiffened at the man's name.

"What did he want with Peggy?" He felt an immediate protection instinct kick in.

"He's paid up all the bills for the next year for her care."

Steve's anger faltered then flared up again.

"Is he doing this because of what he did at dinner on Friday night? You should tell him that if he wants to apologize, he should do it to my face."

Pepper leveled him with a cool glare. "First of all, I am not Tony's personal message courier. If you have something to say to him, say it to him yourself. Secondly, Tony's been paying for Peggy's stay here as soon as she needed the care. He was the one who recommended this place to her family."

Steve looked at Pepper.

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Pepper said, gentleness returning to her face. She put a hand on his shoulder and guided him to sit down.

"How are you?" she asked after a moment.

Steve didn't respond.

"Listen, about Friday night..."

Steve held his hand up, cutting her off. "I don't want to get into that right now."

"Okay," she said, looking down at her hands.

Pepper was quiet. They sat there for a few long moments in silence together.

"Why do you let him treat you that way?" Steve suddenly asked.

Pepper flinched in surprise at the question. It was not like Steve to talk about such things, and the two of them barely had a conversation alone before, beyond exchanging pleasantries. She breathed in.

"I know Tony can be...challenging," she started. Steve scoffed, folding his arms. "And I know what people say about him and all the girls..."

Steve opened his mouth to say something but she stopped him.

"... all the _women_ he's been with. The thing is, I'm completely fine with that. All of it."

He looked at Pepper. He could sense nothing but honesty in her voice.

"I love Tony. And his past is a part of him I accept." Pepper smiled at Steve. "Believe me, he still had hell to pay after dinner on Friday."

Steve grinned, unfolding his arms. He was quiet for a bit.

"When did you know you loved him?" he heard himself ask.

She breathed out.

"I guess I really knew after he came back from Afghanistan."

Steve remained silent, so she continued.

"He was in the basement, in his workshop, you know, after the incident," Pepper said. "He needed help replacing his reactor, and he asked for my help."

Steve still said nothing.

"It was disgusting," she recalled. He laughed a little, the tension dissipating in the room.

Pepper smiled and breathed in.

"Tony was my boss. I saw him go through so much. When he came back from Afghanistan, he was a different person. Tony has always been...fragile. But when he came back from Afghanistan, he was scared. Now, after Ultron and Sokovia, he's..."

Pepper paused.

"I knew I loved Tony when he was gone. I was so worried about him. A month went by, then two, then three. I knew then that if I lost him, I would've..."

She didn't complete the sentence, looking down at her hands. Steve covered his hands on hers. After a few long moments, Pepper breathed in and looked at him.

"How about you? When did you know?"

"I still don't know."

Pepper looked at him in confusion. Steve stared at her. A smile rose to Pepper's lips.

"I was talking about Peggy. Were you thinking of someone else?"

Steve felt heat rush to his cheeks. He didn't answer. Pepper was grinning at him.

"Alina is something else, huh?"

Steve smiled despite himself.

"Tony would never admit this to anyone, but I think he really loved her. Back in school, they were together on and off for a year or so. He mentioned her a couple of times to me before. I didn't pry, but I knew they were close even after they broke up."

Steve felt a pang of jealousy.

"I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad, Steve," Pepper said softly. "I'm telling you this, so you understand what's at stake." She was quiet. "Sometimes, people enter our lives for a reason."

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"When I was growing up, my grandmother used to tell me stories of angels. My favorites were the ones where they took human form and came down to Earth to spread love and mercy."

Steve nodded. He had an Irish Catholic mother, and she would regale him with similar stories from the Bible.

"Some people come into our lives as a blessing. Angels in disguise."

Steve stared at Pepper. An image of Alina in a white dress flashed in his mind. Pepper looked at him for a few moments and smiled. She squeezed his hand.

"You deserve to be happy, Steven."

With that, she kissed him on the cheek and left the room.

***

Peggy was still sleeping when he came in to see her. He gave the fresh bouquet of flowers to the attending nurse so she could put it in a vase. Then, he sat and looked at her face for a few minutes. She looked so peaceful. Wrinkles and all, Peggy was still as beautiful as ever. She would always be his best girl.

_You will always have Peggy to love. _That was what Alina had said. Steve looked at Peggy for a few moments longer, got up, and kissed her forehead.

"You would like her, Peg," he whispered.

She stirred in her sleep, and he left.

***

There was a beep at the door after Steve returned to his room post-dinner.

He had forced himself to eat dinner with the rest of the Avengers. Tomorrow was the start of a new week, and no one needed the Captain in a bad mood on Monday morning. They had been kind enough to forgive his lack of participation as he sat at the table, consumed in his own thoughts.

When he returned to his room, he tried to draw. As he opened his notebook, the picture of Alina fell out. He found himself staring at her face.

The last week had felt like a dream. He had been so happy — he even allowed himself to imagine a life with her when they were in bed together in the morning. He shut the notebook. He should have known better. Happiness rarely lasted a long time for him. It was just how things were.

"Sir, Mr. Stark is at the door," F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed him.

Steve shot up, fists balling up automatically. The door made a sound he didn't recognize, and it opened to reveal Tony, his hands held up in mock surrender.

"Don't shoot me before you hear what I have to say."

***


	14. Chapter 14

Alina spent the entire weekend holed up in her penthouse apartment. A good part of the 18 hour commercial flight from New York to Singapore was spent crying in her private first-class cabin of the airline her family invested in. No one questioned her attire when she stepped onto the plane in a grey evening gown. It was the benefit of carrying the Chen surname.

She held back tears in the taxi cab, all through the airport and while boarding but once the door shut in her little room on the airplane, she sobbed long and hard, hoping that the cabin's noise would cover up her breakdown.

When Tony confronted her about her relationship with Steve, she wanted nothing more than to splash her glass of wine on his face. But she had not been able to bring herself to embarrass him in turn, not with Steve, Pepper, and Happy present. So she ran off, only to have Steve — dear, sweet Steve —run after her. When he looked at her with those bright blue eyes, full of love and care, she knew she had to do it right then. She had to stop the madness before it got any worse. So she had broken his heart and told him that she hadn't loved him, that he was nothing more than an unexpected fling.

It was a lie, of course. Alina cried, tears streaming down her face unto her dress. She panted and sucked in deep breaths.

As for Tony, she found herself wondering what had really happened to him over in Afghanistan. The man she knew in school would have never insulted her the way he did. Unlike the Captain America documentary, she had actually watched Tony's Iron Man movie. He was definitely not the man she used to love. The boy she cared for was gentle, charming when the world was watching but a sensitive, overeager man behind closed doors. What had being Iron Man done to him?

She cried again, lamenting the death of a decades-old friendship. A small voice in her head told her that his absence in the last five years should have been an indication that they hadn't been friends in a long time.

After a good crying session, Alina drifted off to sleep. When she awoke, the change of clothes she had requested was at her door along with some toiletries and food. She made a mental note to thank the current staff on board. How they got a pair of jeans and t-shirt that fit her — she would never know — but since she had left her things back at the compound, she was glad to have them. There was nothing there she couldn't replace anyway. A small voice in her head disagreed. Alina got up to change in the private bathroom and wash off the evidence of heartbreak on her face.

When she got home, she debated calling Ara to explain what had happened. She needed the comfort of her best friend, a woman she trusted since they were kids and assigned to sit next to one another in class.

Ara was otherwise occupied with her husband and child, but she sounded really concerned. She promised that she would come over again tomorrow night once her kid was down.

Alina spent the rest of the weekend until then, moping in her apartment. At one point on Sunday afternoon, she switched on Netflix with a large glass of wine and an assortment of food from the local hawker center. The Captain America documentary was still available. She stared at the picture of Steve in his Captain America uniform, flanked by flying jet planes, stars and stripes. He was wearing his mask, but she could see that he looked strong and confident. She recalled how she had tried her best to keep her cool when she saw him that day in the presentation room in his uniform. The knowing smirk on his face when he realized the effect he had on her. She turned the television off. This was going to be a long night.

When Ara finally arrived at her doorstep with a bottle of wine and a tub of ice cream, Alina cried on her best friend's shoulder. Alina noticed that Ara did not seem perturbed when she mentioned Steve's name. Either Ara didn't care, or she was so out of the loop taking care of a young child. Either way, she was grateful for the company. Ara allowed her to cry, rage, and cry again. By the time her best friend left, Alina felt much better. Ara promised to return the following night. Thank God for girlfriends.

***

Come Monday morning, Alina looked at herself in the mirror, determined to show up to work that day unaffected. As far as the people at work knew, she had gone on vacation. She concocted a story about visiting New York City. It would be more believable that way if anyone asked for details.

She strode into work and managed to work straight through to four p.m.. At four p.m, her assistant informed her that she had a meeting with a donor in half an hour. She looked through her schedule and frowned. It had not been there earlier this morning. When she asked her assistant about it, she insisted that it had popped up without her interference after lunch. Alina frowned. There was no name either. Only an initial. T.S. Her heart skipped a beat.

She checked and answered any last-minute emails, trying to ignore the sense of dread and anticipation whirling in her stomach. Sure enough, half an hour later, Tony Stark showed up at her door, carrying a huge bouquet of flowers. She made a mental note to increase the firewalls in her system's programs.

She stared at him but didn't move to open the glass door.

"Hello, Alina. Can I come in?"

She didn't answer. Tony opened the door and stepped inside before closing the door behind him.

"You should really get those automatic doors installed in your offices here. Ease of use and all that," Tony commented.

"Funny, I was just thinking about how I should increase security around the online systems here. So it wouldn't be so easy for unwanted visitors to hack into my schedule."

Tony bristled at that. Good.

"I know someone who can help with that," he said, looking down at the ground.

Tension started to dissipate from the apologetic tone in his voice. Alina folded her arms and glared at him, attempting to wrestle back control. He sat down.

"Ok, I can see you're angry."

She continued to glare at him.

"Ok, really angry."

She leveled him with a cold stare.

"Damn. You've been working on that ice queen thing. Must be all the time you spent with Capsicle."

"Get out."

He gestured widely and rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry. Ok?" He looked at her. "I'm sorry," he repeated, meeting her eyes.

She felt her resolve weaken, but when she spoke, her voice was hard.

"What for? What are you sorry for, Tony?"

He looked at her, distaste on his face. She would make him say it.

He sighed. "I'm sorry for acting like a jerk on Friday."

"And?"

"And...?" He looked at her questioningly.

Alina stared at him for a few moments. The man was a certified genius and somehow, completely clueless.

"For disappearing on our friendship for the last five years?"

He opened his mouth to protest then closed it when he saw her face.

"You're right. I'm sorry about that," Tony said. "I..."

"It's ok," she put her hand up to stop him. "You don't have to explain." She took her seat, and he followed suit, still holding onto the flowers.

"I...I know I haven't been there for you," Tony started. "Things have just been..."

Alina waited.

"Different."

She nodded. Things were different all right. Aliens falling out of the sky. A whole city rising from the Earth, threatening to end all life on this planet. They didn't say anything for a long moment. Tony fidgeted with his sunglasses, avoiding her eyes.

"These are nice," she commented, reaching out to examine the bouquet.

He looked up. His eyes were misty. For a moment, Alina saw the young man she had known all those years ago. He was tired, really tired.

Tony sniffed a little. "You like them? I got them ordered specially for you. Woman on the phone was a nightmare to deal with."

Alina laughed. Tony smiled at the sound of her voice.

"I bet you didn't make it easy."

"I never do."

They exchanged a smile. So much had been left unsaid, but it was not their way to say much. Alina stood up and moved in front of her desk. Tony stood up along with her. She kissed him gently on the cheek.

"I'll always be here for you, Tony."

She felt her heart sink when she said those words. She wished the name that came out from her lips belonged to someone else.

Tony looked at her. For a second, Alina saw stubbornness and anger flit across his face only to be replaced moments later by nostalgia. He kissed her on the cheek, letting out a small sigh, and put his sunglasses back on.

"I'm still expecting an answer about the foundation. You have until the end of the night."

***

Alina walked up to her apartment after work. Ara had promised she would come over after dinner to watch _Clueless_ and drink more wine together. Cher Horowitz never failed to cheer Alina up.

When she exited the elevator into her apartment, a blonde man was standing in her entryway, facing the window with a suitcase. Her heart stopped.

"Good evening, ma'am. Mr. Stark requested I return the belongings you left at the compound."

The building's security clearly needed an upgrade.

"Very well. You can leave it right there."

The man nodded. Alina watched him as he left through the elevator. When he was gone, she sent an email to the building manager, asking him to look into their security systems.

After ensuring Tony's errand boy was gone, she went to her room to change out her clothes. She put on a set of cream pajamas and went to the kitchen. There was a note from her private chef on how to prepare the grilled chicken and salad for tonight's dinner. Alina got to work, being careful to not to stain her favorite pajamas.

At seven p.m. before she sat down for dinner, there was a buzz, notifying her that someone was in the elevator. She frowned. Ara was early. She removed her apron and went out to the entryway.

"I thought you said Freddie was being fussy and you couldn't make it until after seven tonight," she started.

Steve was in the elevator. She froze. His face lit up when he saw her. She felt her heart throb in her ears.

"Hello, Alina."

She stared at him.

"May I come in?"

She recovered after a few seconds.

"Sure."

He stepped inside the entryway. They stood awkwardly for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" she asked finally.

"I came to talk."

First Tony, now Steve. So much for an uneventful start to the week. She scoffed before she could stop herself. Steve looked like he had been hit.

"Well, come on in then," she said.

She turned towards the living room. Steve followed her, maintaining a respectful distance. She sat on the couch and held a pillow up to her chest as he took up space at the end. Alina waited. She almost gave up and walked away to check on her chicken before Steve spoke. The man gave new meaning to the word patience.

"I'm sorry I didn't stop you."

She didn't respond.

"And I'm sorry for letting myself believe that you didn't love me."

Alina narrowed her eyes at him. What was he playing at? To his credit, he moved on quickly.

"Before you left, you told me that I will always have Peggy to love. You were right."

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. Was this what he had come here to tell her? She felt irritation rise in her chest. She already knew Peggy would always be his best girl. Alina wasn't interested in taking her place. She just wanted to be with him. Her irritation turned into grief as her mind tried to bury the terrifying thought.

He must have noticed her face because his expression changed. He inched forward towards her, and she felt his body heat the closer he moved forward. God damn him, why did he have to smell so good.

"But you," he started and looked away. Then he looked up at her, determination in his eyes. "Alina, you are a blessing." He stopped. "My blessing."

She stared at him. "What are you saying, Steve?"

Steve took in a deep breath.

"The past few years, I've been in...darkness. When I went into the ice, we were at war. When S.H.I.E.L.D. woke me up, they told me we had won. But it was also a whole new world I didn't recognize."

He let out a deep breath.

"I drove the Valkyrie into the ocean. I was prepared to die," he paused. "But I didn't."

His voice was filled with emotion. Alina softened at the revelation. She never realized what he had been carrying with him all this time.

"And then, I had to move on, to fight again. And this time, it wasn't just my country that needed me. It was this whole new world I didn't know. They needed Captain America. I had to serve again. There was no time to grieve."

She felt a tear fall on her face as he spoke. It hurt her to know that he hadn't had any time to heal. To just be after everything he had been through. It was cruel.

"When you showed up a week ago, you shone a light in that darkness. You showed me kindness and compassion. You opened up to me. You made me feel like I could open up to you. You reminded me what it felt like to trust someone again.

Tears were streaming down her face now.

"I think...I think I'm falling in love with you."

Steve was looking at her, fear and anticipation swirling in his eyes. Alina breathed in, feeling a curious expansion in her chest. She closed the space between them and kissed him. When their lips parted, she spoke.

"Oh, Steve," she said, smiling through her tears. "I'm falling for you too."

The smile on his face widened into a grin.

"I'm sorry I said I never expected anything more from you. It was a lie. I wanted this. But I was too afraid to admit it to myself."

They kissed again, soft, full, and sweet.

Her phone rang from the kitchen. Ara.

Alina bolted up, breaking the kiss. Steve looked at her in surprise. "I got to take this," she said before running to the kitchen.

She answered the call.

"Chocolate or vanilla?" Ara's voice came in from the other end.

"Steve's here," she whispered.

"Vanilla, it is."

Alina giggled at her best friend's joke. "I'll talk to you later."

"Guess this ice cream will be for Tom and me tonight."

Alina giggled again. "Talk soon, Ara. Bye."

She clicked her phone off and went back into the living room. She half-expected that Steve would not be there when she returned. But he was standing in her living room, looking out the window. Alina followed his gaze.

There was a soft whirring sound outside. She saw fireworks erupt above a huge field in the sky. She joined him at the window. His arms were crossed.

"It must be a rehearsal for the National Day Parade in August," Alina explained.

Steve smiled. "They're beautiful. You guys really go all out."

"Come on, we can watch the fireworks from outside."

She grabbed his hands and led them into the balcony outside. Steve's eyes widened at the sight of the bustling city below. Alina smiled. They watched the fireworks by the balcony, standing next to one another. Steve reached out for her hand and threaded his fingers around hers. She squeezed him.

When the fireworks were done, they made their way back inside. She felt a surge of courage seize her and threw herself on his lips. They kissed, meaningful and deep. She opened her mouth and felt excitement course through her body when his tongue massaged hers.

She pushed him backwards towards the bedroom and guided him gently to her bed. They spent the next few minutes, relishing in the feeling of being able to touch one another freely again. Alina had missed his body next to hers, his body heat, the steady beating of his heart. Soon, their clothes were discarded by the wayside. They made love, soft, sweet, and full of gentleness. Afterward, she lay her head on his chest.

"Thank you, Steve."

"What for?"

"For coming here tonight and telling me what you told me. I needed to hear it."

He kissed her hair. She looked up at him, and they kissed. They made love again, harder and faster this time. Afterward, he watched as she drifted to sleep in his arms.

He kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, angel."

\- end -

*

*

*

Epilogue to follow!


	15. Epilogue

"Earth to Captain Rogers."

"Go ahead."

Tony looked at him. "You didn't hear a single thing I just said, did you?"

Steve opened his mouth to respond then shut it.

"Sorry, Tony. Could you repeat that last bit?"

"I asked what you thought about these people."

Steve looked at the screen. There was a picture of a surly looking woman in a leather jacket, a man in a red devil suit and a question mark next to a description that stated "man with unbreakable skin."

"I don't know, Tony."

"My God, man. Get your head out of the clouds for one second. I know it's a big day for you and all, but I need someone to give me a goddamn answer on this. I can't make this decision myself."

Steve looked at Tony. "I meant, I don't know about them joining the team. They don't look like team players to me."

"No shit."

Steve flinched. Tony had been trying to expand the Avengers initiative. So far, his picks had been citizens who, through one way or another, had acquired superpowers.

The most promising lead was the guy in the devil suit. Steve smiled to himself at the irony.

Tony sighed. "Fine. I'll go back to the drawing board."

He swiped left, and the identity cards disappeared. He pulled something else up. Steve checked his watch.

"Go," Tony said without looking up.

"Thanks, Tony.

Tony didn't reply.

Steve stood up and moved towards the door.

"Tell her I say hi," Tony called out.

***

Alina was standing in the same room as Peggy Carter. Her stomach had been doing non-stop twists since she landed on the Avengers compound and saw Steve waiting for her in the hangar.

They had been planning this visit for weeks, and though her now bi-continental life meant that she was frequently flying back and forth, it was all worth it, the moment she saw Steve's face and irresistible grin.

She hardly had time to change and freshen up after she landed. Before she knew it, they were off again, back in the jet, heading towards Washington, D.C.

Now, in this softly lit room, Alina hung back as she watched Steve patiently explain to Peggy how he had returned. Steve warned her that Peggy had late-stage Alzheimer's, but with limited knowledge of the disease, Alina did not know what to expect. She had to choke back tears when she saw how Peggy cried when she realized Steve was by her bed.

Alina watched as the two of them talked, and Peggy reminisced about the life she had lived with her family. She looked at the two pictures encased in the silver frames on the bedside table. Peggy looked happy in those pictures and yet...Her heart broke when she saw Steve and Peggy together. They were meant to be together, and life had robbed them of that opportunity. Alina took a deep breath in and swallowed the deep, multilayered grief in her heart.

"And who is this then?" Peggy said, shifting her gaze to Alina.

"This is Alina," Steve said softly.

Alina offered a tentative smile. The older woman looked at her for a moment then at Steve. Her eyes twinkled, and she smiled back. Alina let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She felt a tear of relief fall on her cheek.

"And what are the two of you up to today? Besides visiting an old woman like me."

Alina sputtered. Steve turned to her and smiled.

"I have something in mind."

***

Steve ached to reach out to her. They were sitting across from each other on the jet. Alina had been quiet on the way back.

"Hey," he said, breaking the silence. "Thank you for coming to visit Peggy with me today."

She looked at him, and he felt his heart flutter.

"Of course, Steve. It was...an honor to meet her."

He reached out then, unable to control himself, and kissed her. It was an uncomfortable position to be in, but he maintained the sweet contact for as long as he could before they needed to stop for air.

"I have dinner plans for us when we return."

"Of course you do."

He smiled at that, and they spent the rest of the short flight back in comfortable silence. Once in a while, Steve saw what he thought looked like darkness pass on Alina's face, but it left just as quickly when she caught sight of him.

When they arrived back at the compound and back in their shared room, he was surprised by her sudden lustful enthusiasm. Not that he minded. It had been a few months into their relationship, and they only saw one another once or twice a month at most. The regular texts and daily phone calls were not the same, and since they both disliked Facetime, they rarely saw one another face-to-face until they were together in-person. In some ways, it made the wait worth it. It definitely kept the sexual tension alive. Once, they even tried phone sex, but Steve had been too flustered up to finish, hearing the sounds of Alina's pleasure on the other end.

She backed him into the wall, and they made passionate love there. He relished the way he was able to elicit certain sounds from her as he took her up against the smooth surface, her long legs wrapped around his torso.

After, they grinned shyly at one another, exchanging no words.

When she stepped out of the bathroom in a figure-hugging white dress, he felt his heart skip a beat. He offered his arm out to her, and they got into the limousine. He felt his heart hammer. When they got their destination, he reached into his pocket.

"What's that?"

"Do you trust me?"

She looked at the blindfold and nodded.

"Put it on."

She closed her eyes. Steve helped tie the blindfold around her face.

"I'll lead you."

He took her hand gently and navigated her out of the limousine.

"Thanks, Happy," he called out to the driver.

"No problem, Cap. Have a great night, you two."

Alina heard the car leave. Steve took her hand and placed it on his arm. They walked through what sounded like the marbled lobby floor. An elevator door dinged. They exited the elevator and went down a hallway. There was a jingling of keys. A door opened.

Steve led her through the door and untied her blindfold.

"Ok, open your eyes."

Alina opened her eyes and looked around. It was an empty apartment except for a table for two in the center laid out with food and candles.

"Where are we?"

"Our place. If you would like it to be."

She stared at him.

"I thought we could live here. Whenever you come to visit. You might start spending a little more time in the city since Tony wants you to expand The September Foundation to a nationwide initiative."

She turned to look at him. Tears fell on her cheek and down into her smile. He reached out and kissed her.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

"Let me give you a tour of our new place then."

She looked at the blindfold in his hands.

"For now, I only want to know where the bedroom is. I've got some ideas on what to do with that."

\- the end -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for following the journey of Steve and Alina. This was my first time writing and sharing fanfiction and/or romance. Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of the story! 
> 
> I'm currently working to complete the story of Steve x Alina-- from their original love story in the summer of 2015 to what happens in 2023 during Avengers: Endgame. The series is also on AO3.
> 
> If you enjoy my work, do consider supporting my writing at ko-fi.com/syahidahwrites. Buy me a coffee and I'll keep the magic going!
> 
> x Syahidah


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